The Collective

Chapter Thirty-Seven

     I got out of the town car, tugging on my dress. Nothing fit right.

     "Stop it. You look great." Max took my arm, escorting me towards Nick the guard.

     I flipped him off. He insisted on this dress. With its plunging v neck, open back, and a slit about halfway up my thigh, it looked like something from a movie. I could barely walk in stiletto heels, much less run.

     Max pulled me closer, leading me past Nick the guard. He nodded as we passed him. Apparently, he'd given us all the info we needed to find Ethan and get him out.

     I froze in the doorway. The ballroom looked like it'd been dipped and gold and come out dripping diamonds. People dressed in everything from traditional saris to dresses with slits higher than mine drifted across the room, blending effortlessly. A harpist sat in one corner, with a string quartet in the other, playing just loud enough to disguise the low hum of chatter.

     Sarah nodded at us from the bar. She looked like she belonged, in a deep blue dress, and her hair twisted into a updo. You'd never be able to tell she'd spent the last two weeks in a concrete cell.

     Stacy sidled up next to her, in a shimmery, purple number, so dark it looked black. She waved to someone across the room, laughing at something they said. She headed towards them, slipping Max a piece of paper

     Sarah leaned in, kissing one cheek and then the other. "Darling! It's been so long." She slid me a keycard. She waved at someone across the room, walking away.

     Max swept me up. He handed me a glass of champagne, guiding me towards the other side of the room. "Follow my lead." He hung all over me, laughing too loud.

     The man in front of the door, almost too big for his suit, looked profoundly uncomfortable.

     Max took my champagne. He handed it to the man. "Hold this for me, would ya?" He stuck the man with a pin on the edge of his finger. He grabbed the champagne, passing it back to me.

     The man paled. He stared at his hands. Max caught him on the way down. He leaned him against the column, out of view. He took his ear piece, taking his place.

     He nodded at the door. "You're on your own from here. Make us proud. We'll let you know as soon as we see her."

     Oh yes, her. The reason we were all in this mess. Great. Yes. Let's definitely find her.

     I knelt down, pulling the silicone sleeve onto my thumb. I pressed it against the brute's thumb. I stood up. I slid the keycard through the scanner by the door, pressing the thumbprint against the screen. The door popped open. I slipped through, shutting it quietly behind me.

     I swung the gun side to side, scanning the hall. I was alone. I went six feet and to the left. A room full of stuff I didn't recognize lied in wait. A single, blue suit moved behind the glass.

     I stowed my gun in the holster strapped to my ankle, stopping in the decontamination unit. Chase tried every trick in the book, but he couldn't get around the fail safes preventing any foreign substances from leaving or entering the lab. The door hissed open. Cold air enveloped me as I entered the main part of the lab. Machines took up every inch of usable counter space. Tall, metal boxes stood on the edges, row after row of glass vials visible. The blue suit moved in front of one of the boxes on the other side of the room.

     I pulled the gun out of the holster, stopping behind the blue suit. He either didn't hear me or chose not to react. I waited until he put the glass vial down in the box. He closed both of them.