Her heart hammered against her ribs li

he frantically tore open the mirrored va

searched for anything pungent. Finally, she grabbed a

c sounds of the staff preparing for his arrival. The door abruptly swung inward, nearly striking h

to refresh all the suites-" the

was still open. She darted silently toward an unattended housekeeping cart. Her eyes scanned the cleaning

the heavy door shut, and the electronic lock clicked loudly into place behind h

onto a thick washcloth. She gagged as the ac

th all over her neck, chest, and arms. She l

the concentrated, burning liquid onto her pulse points-

filled the small bathroom. It made her eyes

he grabbed the jar of pickled garli

ly. Her stomach churned violently in protest,

, sheer lingerie Sterling had provided. Instead, she found the most

them all the way up to her chin, hiding h

bed. Her hands trembled violently a

thumping of helicopter rotor

ons rattled the windows, indicating the chop

plete silence. Then, heavy, purpose

room door beeped sharply. The

epped into the unlit room. He was already lo

dark. He expected to find a complia

ch her shoulder, stepping into

vinegar, garlic, and concentrated eucal

back as if he had been burned. He coughed hars

ed in the room as he stepped back, pi

He slammed his hand against it, flooding

ed onto Celestia. She was huddled in the hideous,

as a terrifying mix of sheer disgu

do?" he demanded, his

e watering heavily from the fumes, but a