He looked at her. “No, you won’t. I don’t need to worry about you too, Lex. Stay here. Keep the door locked. Don’t answer it for anybody — not anybody. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Call the front desk if you get even a whiff of something shady,” he said. “I’ll call you as soon as I know more.”
He kissed her forehead and was on his way to the living room when the lights went out.
27
The room was dark except for the city lights leaking in through the windows. Every instinct in his body screamed in alarm as he made his way to Alexa, still standing near the bed where she’d been when he’d been about to leave.
Dread flooded his body. He’d been about to leave her to go to the house. She would have been alone, which was probably exactly how Walker wanted it.
“What’s happening?” she asked, her voice hushed.
“I don't know,” Nick said. “But it’s not a coincidence. We need to get out of here.”
“Maybe it’s just a power outage.” She sounded uncommonly small and scared.
He looked at the lights shining in through the window. “Doubtful. The buildings next door have power.”
“Is it them?” she asked. “The Walkers?”
“I don't know, but we’re not going to take the chance.” He paused, giving his mind a few seconds to analyze the situation, to catalog the things he could use to his advantage, the things that would be a liability.
“What about the house?” she asked.
“We can't worry about that now,” Nick said. “Ronan and Declan can handle things there.”
His job was to keep Alexa safe. It was the only thing he could afford to think about.
He froze as the hotel room phone rang. He crossed the room and picked up the receiver. “Yes?”
“Good evening, Mister Murphy.” The voice was crisp and feminine. “This is Amy at the front desk. We wanted to let you know we’re experiencing a brief power outage. Everything is fine and we’d like to ask that you remain in your room unless there’s an emergency. This will ensure your safety and keep the stairwells clear for our repair team.”
“Thank you,” Nick said. He hung up and looked at Alexa, a silhouette in the dark room. “Listen to me, Lex. We need to get out of here. The elevators will be out, which means we'll have to take the stairs. I need you to stay close and do exactly what I say. No questions, okay? Not until we’re in the clear.”
“Okay,” she said.
He bent to kiss her. “We’re going to make our way to the hall, then work our way to the stairwell. Stay behind me unless I say otherwise.”
He drew his weapon and started for the living room. The hotel room was even quieter than usual, the air conditioning unit silent, the fridge in the suite’s kitchen absent its usual hum.
He and Alexa were scrupulous about locking the door, but he didn’t take any chances as he moved through the suite, watching the shadows for movement. He felt Alexa at his back, felt the weight of his responsibility to her.
They continued down the hall to the suite’s foyer and stopped in front of the door. Nick looked through the peephole and got a dark and distorted view of the hall on the other side of the door. The hall’s emergency lights, running along either side, cast a glare over his view, but the space in front of their room appeared to be empty.
“Is anyone there?” Alexa whispered.
“Not that I can see, but it’s dark.” He put his ear against the door and listened.
Nothing.
Which didn't mean someone wasn’t out there, standing off to the side and waiting to ambush him when he opened the door. He wished he had some kind of mirror that he could shove under the door to check the hall, but nothing came to mind.
He turned to Alexa and met her frightened eyes. “I have to open the door. I don’t know what’s on the other side, but if we stay here, we're sitting ducks. We have to move, keep them guessing.”
She nodded.