Infinityglass

Chapter 10

Hallie

I went to the side entrance of the house to wait for Dune.

Because I was excited to see him.

I used to meet Benny at the same entrance when I was a kid. I didn’t want to throw a Benny-shaped shadow over Dune, and I didn’t think I was. Benny had been my friend. Dune was … different.

I wanted to punch myself in my own face. The last thing I needed to indulge in was a crush, especially one that had exploded on me like a shaken champagne bottle.

“Hey, kiddo.” Carl, who’d been head of security for as long as I could remember, stood and brushed biscuit crumbs from his shirt. “Is something wrong?”

“Take a load off,” I said, briefly placing my hand on his shoulder. “I’m waiting for someone.”

“New kid?” He sat, but kept his posture straight and his feet flat on the floor. Ready to jump in front of me at any second, should the need arise.

“We’re going on a job.”

Carl knew exactly what that meant.

“First one for this guy?” When I nodded, he picked up his Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate and took a slow sip. “And you think he’ll be good in the field?”

“We’ll find out. All Dune has to do is take a little trip with me.”

“To where?”

Dune stepped through the door. Raindrops caught in his black hair, and some settled on the shoulders of his navy windbreaker. He looked mysterious, coming in from the outside mist, kind of like a mystical warrior.

Wow. That cheese stunk like Roquefort.

“The Bourbon Orleans,” I said brightly. “One of the oldest hotels in New Orleans. It’s also one of the most haunted.”

He slid his arms out of his jacket and hung it up on a hook by the door before dropping his bag. “Do you believe in that stuff?”

“I can transmutate. Ghosts don’t seem like a stretch.”

Dune cast a quick glance over at Carl, who just smiled.

“Bye, Carl,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Good luck, and be careful.” Carl wiped hot chocolate foam off his upper lip. He was still smiling.

I hooked my arm through Dune’s and led him toward the living room. It was a really nice arm. Strong. Defined. Tan with just a scattering of dark hair.

“You’re pretty open about your ability,” he said.

“Carl’s been around for years. We don’t have extended family. Or friends.” I wasn’t ready to let go of his arm yet, so I guided him toward the stairs and my bedroom. “Dad just hires staff instead.”

“You aren’t tight with the people you work with?”

“Not really. I’m older than Amelia and Zooey.” I wasn’t even going to touch the Poe relationship. “Besides that, it’s me and my dad, and the guards. Are you tight with the people you work with?”

“The Hourglass operates as a family. Our boss encourages it. You care about people; you have their backs when it comes down to the hard situations. I know how hokey that sounds.”

“It doesn’t sound hokey at all. Kind of nice, truthfully.”

“You’re lonely.”

He said it in a gentle tone, and it was an observation, not a question, but I felt like I needed to explain. “I have other people besides the ones I work with. There’s Gina, my dance teacher. I mean, it’s only the two of us, but I see her three days a week. I’ve taken a couple of classes at the theater where she teaches.”

“Dance class and Chronos jobs.” He raised his hand, and for a second, I thought he was going to touch my face. My heart caught in my chest, but he scratched his chin instead.

“What? You don’t like the way I live my life?”

“You have so much to offer, Hallie. The world needs you like nature needs sunlight.”

“That’s … possibly the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

He answered with a frown.

Feeling too close and too obvious, I pulled away from him. My body went cold without his heat. He rubbed his arm, like he was missing my warmth, too.

Or I was losing my mind, or something worse.

“Anyway, neither of my parents had big families. So it’s just us.” I walked into my bedroom, looking over my shoulder to see if he’d follow. He hesitated, but he came in. Then I dropped the bomb on him. “How do you feel about staying with me in the hotel this weekend?”

He blinked a couple of times. “Non sequitur much?”

“Sit.” I took the tiny vanity stool, partly from guilt that it was so small it barely supported him, and partly because I wanted to see what he looked like on my bed.

“A hotel?”

“Yeah.” I did a nervous side to side spin. “For a job. We need to retrieve something from the lobby.”

“When your dad hired me, he told me there was a good chance I would end up going on a Chronos job. I think he said many of them were questionable. He never said anything about taking his daughter to a hotel.”

“If you want to bail …”

“No! No, I don’t want to bail.”

My slow grin was answered with an immediate blush.

“I mean, I’m going to do the job. You’re stuck with me. I just … if I’m going to get arrested for a ‘retrieval,’ I should maybe make arrangements for bail ahead of time.”

“No one said anything about stealing. A family donated an antique crystal ball for display, but there was some kind of mix-up, and the hotel got the real thing.”

“Were they supposed to get a copy?”

“Yes,” I said. “The family needs the original back. They can’t waltz in and get it, you see, because they’re respectable now, with political aspirations. None of them wants the public to know what kind of value they place on it, or that it tells the truth about the past and shows the promises of the future.”

“We’re doing a bait and switch, then?”

“Just a switch.” I grinned. “You really don’t know much about breaking the rules, do you?”

He shook his head.

“Well, then. I look forward to teaching you.” I meant it.

Except … every time a Chronos job came up I felt torn. There was a constant pull between the desire to get out of my house and do a job well and the need to define myself beyond Chronos and my father’s expectations. Dance allowed for that, but only within the boundaries of my studio.

Taking Dune on the Bourbon Orleans job was necessary to keep him on Dad’s good side, and to keep him around. While I was the one who suggested he go on the job with me, it had been before he and I had become … whatever we were now.

He was the only part of my life that wasn’t solely connected to Chronos, and suddenly, I didn’t want him to see me in light of what I did there. I didn’t want him to forget the Hallie he’d managed to discover over the past couple of weeks.

And I didn’t want to forget her either.

The hotel was just off Jackson Square.

We caught a cab instead of using my dad’s driver. Maintaining anonymity was a bitch. The rain had cleared out, and the sun was shining. The cabbie dropped us off on the corner of Orleans and Bourbon so we could walk to the main entrance from the side street.

“I brought my computer,” Dune said, lifting up his backpack. “Did you look at the file I sent you? If we have time, we could go over it.”

I had a vision of us sitting, our heads bent close together, staring at his laptop screen. It progressed to our hands touching accidentally, and then our shoulders, and then …

He was looking at me, and I was standing on Bourbon with my mouth hanging open.

“Sure. If we have time.” I’d only skimmed it. I pushed my sunglasses up on my head so I could see his eyes. “We’ll check in first. I need you to scout the case the crystal ball is in. Make sure it’s movable, see if there’s a lock, that kind of thing. It’s in front of the check-in desk. We’ll do some observing, and later, I’ll create a diversion in the lobby while you take the crystal.”

“If that doesn’t work?” he asked.

“Then we’ll apply stealth.”

“Maybe we should apply it from the get-go.” He put his hand at the small of my back, and the valet and the doorman held the double doors open for us. The lobby was full of grandiose furniture, fine art, and huge bouquets of flowers in crystal vases. The blooms smelled absolutely divine.

I sashayed up to the check in desk and plopped down my fake ID and credit card.

“Welcome to the Bourbon Orleans. How may I assist you?”

“Check in. Christian Arnold.”

“Yes, miss.” Her name tag read OLGA, and I was pretty sure the accent was Norwegian. “Would you like to leave the room on this credit card?”

“I would. And you should have a package for me?”

She frowned. “I don’t see a note on the reservation. Just a moment, please. Excuse me.”

When she disappeared through a doorway, I pushed Dune away from the desk. “That case. Over there. Just be casual.”

I turned back just as Olga came around the corner.

“I’m sorry, Miss Arnold. We didn’t have anything for you.”

“Oh, let me check my e-mail and make sure I read it correctly.” I was trying to give Dune more time, but cut it short when I realized Olga was doing a thorough job of checking him out. “Never mind. I’ll look later.”

I stared at her for a couple of seconds before she startled and began flipping through a stack of papers.

“Certainly. And you’ll be staying in one of our signature Saint Ann balcony loft suites. I do hope you’ll enjoy it. It’s very romantic.” She shot a look of approval over my shoulder.

“Romantic?” Oh hell. When Dad’s assistant had made the original reservation over a month ago, she’d counted on me being in the hotel alone, and Poe popping in and out. No need for two rooms or for two beds. “Do you have anything else?”

“We’re booked for the weekend, but the suite is one of our nicest. I’m sure it will meet your expectations.” I turned to see that she was focusing on Dune, who was leaning intently toward the glass case and talking to a hotel employee, while pointing to the crystal on the top shelf.

“I’m sure it will be lovely. Where’s the elevator?” I asked with forced cheer.

Olga pointed. “Right that way.”

I gave her a smile that displayed all my teeth, then spun on one high heel and approached Dune, grabbing his arms and dragging him away from the case.

“Thanks for the info,” Dune called out over his shoulder to the bellman.

“Enjoy your stay,” the bellman said back, tipping his cap.

“I’m sure I will.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” I muttered, squeezing his elbow and steering him toward the elevator.

Dune

“You don’t have to squeeze so hard.” I stifled a yelp. “Or pinch.”

Hallie pinched me again, I guess for good measure. “Could you have been any more obvious?”

“There was a plaque with tiny, tiny print that covered the occult in Victorian times, and information on the plaçage. And some other stuff.” I gulped at the scary-angry look on her face. “I’m a reader. I was reading. It gave me a good excuse to ask the bellman questions.”

According to the plaque, the Bourbon Orleans had lived through many incarnations, starting as the home to the Orleans Ballroom in 1817. It had seen masquerades, carnival balls, and quadroon balls, and then turned into a convent and a school. In 1964, it became a hotel, with a reputation for excellent service and numerous hauntings.

From the orphan children who’d suffered through the yellow fever epidemic to a Civil War soldier to a dancer who whirled under the ballroom chandelier, there was a promising possibility of ghosts, or a terrifying rip or two.

“You didn’t need to ask questions. You were talking to an employee about the thing we are planning on stealing.”

“You said we were retrieving, not stealing.”

She pinched me again as we got on the elevator.

“You’re bossy,” I said. “Maybe a little bit mean.”

“It’s like you forgot why we were here.”

“Maybe I was a little thrown off when I overheard that we’re staying in the ‘romantic’ loft suite.” Or a lot thrown off.

The elevator doors dinged open. “It just worked out that way. Don’t worry, Saint Dune, I don’t plan on compromising your integrity.”

“No, of course not, because stealing has nothing to do with integrity.” The words were a whisper, but they echoed down the hallway.

“Retrieval,” Hallie said through gritted teeth as she pushed me inside the suite. “Here’s an idea. Try not to blow it all before we even get started. And I told you, we’re not … whoa.”

A red leather couch was backed up to an exposed brick wall. Across from it sat a small desk and a huge flat screen. The room was perfectly proportioned. French doors opened onto a private balcony, or gallery, as they are called in Lousiana. A split staircase led upstairs. To the bedroom.

Where there was one bed. One big, big bed and a bottle of champagne.

“I’ll take the couch,” I said. Or better yet, we’d finish the job today, and I would go home, lock myself in my apartment, and stand in a cold shower for two solid days.

“Don’t be passive-aggressive.” She threw her bag on the desk, unzipped it, and pulled out a sweater. “We can share the same breathing space for a day. Screw this job up and get me in trouble, and I’ll be forced to find inventive ways to injure your man parts.”

I tried to hide my smile as I sat down on the couch. Everything with Hallie was easy and complicated at the same time, in the very best way, but being alone with her in a hotel room with one bed was one complication I had no idea how to handle.

“Maybe you just want to think about my man parts.” Apparently I was going to handle it overtly.

She blinked a couple of times. Finally. I’d managed to throw her off. “Maybe I should do this myself.”

“I said I was in. I’m supposed to be helping you.”

“Right. Because you were so helpful in the lobby?”

“We both know you could do this job blindfolded in a blackout,” I argued. “Just like I know why you want to be here.”

“I don’t think you do.”

“You wanted out of your house,” I said. “You’re out. What else is there?”

Her look of frustration told me there was a lot more. “Maybe I wanted to get somewhere private and give you a chance to kiss me.”

I almost fell out of my seat. Her excuse was a diversion from the truth, and the perfect one to throw at me. I stood.

Tilting her head up, she moved close enough that our chests were almost touching. “Hallie,” I warned.

“Don’t you want to?”

“Want to what?”

Her hands went to her hips. “Kiss me.”

Caution spun my brain dry. “Not a good idea.”

“Not good,” she agreed. “Great.”

“It isn’t—”

“We’re alone. Legitimately alone. Hint. There’s … tension, and maybe I’d like to ease it. What’s the problem?”

“Too fast. Out of nowhere. Complications. Cloudy motives.”

“All I see is sunshine.”

I couldn’t give in for a few reasons. One was fear of an imminent explosion. Another was that I was obviously outmatched, and I didn’t know how I’d make myself stop kissing her if I ever started.

“Listen.” I took a huge step back. Breathed. Breathed again. In that moment, honesty outweighed sense. “I’m not going to pretend like this isn’t something I want. You’re amazing.”

“Okay.” She looked confused.

“I thought you should know.”

“You’re either feeling sorry for me or buttering me up, and only one of those options makes sense.”

“It’s neither.”

“Okay, then,” she said. “I’m amazing. Know what else is amazing? My kissing. Are you going to find out or not?”

“No.” I backed up another step. “Because you’re frustrated, and I don’t know if I’m the cause or the cure.”

“Maybe you’re both.”

“Maybe that’s not good enough for me.”

“Oh my damn.” She dropped her head into her hands. “A guy with standards.”

“A guy who likes you.” It was out before I could pull it back.

She jerked her head up. “You like me?”

I didn’t answer.

“I can’t do this right now. I’m sorry I … tried to jump you, or whatever.” She picked up her bag. “Let’s just get the job done, and then I’ll … I don’t know what.”

Before I could say another word, she disappeared into the bathroom. I went to the bedroom and changed into my suit, then came back down to wait. When she opened the door fifteen minutes later, I lost all feeling in my extremities.

“I … you.” I cleared my throat. “It … um. Hi.”

“Hi.” The fire had mellowed, but I could still feel it. “Does this work?”

The shirt wasn’t low cut or black, but dark blue. It shimmered, and covered her from collarbone to hip bone. Classy.

But when she did a slow spin, a cutout showed off most of her bare back, the one that had started haunting my waking moments as well as my dreams.

“It works.”

The tie on my suit had barely been snug, but now it was insanely tight. Maybe I needed to compliment her. Girls usually responded well to compliments. I had no idea what the protocol was for intended theft or retrieval.

“That shirt is like … a mullet. Business in the front, party in the back.”

“That is an absolutely terrible comparison.”

I swallowed really hard. “It was supposed to be a compliment.”

“You don’t date much, do you?”

I stared at her, unsure of what to do next. “Do you need a jacket or something?”

“And mess up the look?” She batted her eyelashes dramatically.

Definitely didn’t want to mess up the look. “I’ll give you mine if you get cold.”

“No, you leave your jacket on. Any bodyguard worth his salt is going to be carrying.”

“I don’t have a weapon. I don’t need one.”

“I realize that you’re He-Man sized and all, but your role in this little drama is to act as my bodyguard. If something bad goes down and you aren’t armed, we’re both in trouble.” She sighed, dug around in her bag, and shoved a stun gun into my hands.

I stared at it. “I have no idea what to even do with this thing.”

“Just make sure the safety’s on so you don’t tase your nuts off.”

As I often found with Hallie, I had no idea how to respond.

“I’m not going to lie and say that most often I find it disgusting when men can’t look above my shoulders. But above my shoulders is where you usually look.”

“That’s where your eyes are.” I sounded like an idiot.

“Do you know anyone who has eyes elsewhere?”

“I mean that’s where your intelligence is. I can see it there. I like that part of you.”

“I know. And that might be where your focus is right now, but I have to be honest. After our earlier conversation, I’m hoping your thoughts are somewhere else entirely.”