of friends and colleagues in the area, but right now neither of them knew who they could trust. They also didn’t want to draw anyone else into the danger unnecessarily.
As they talked, the streets flashing past, she realised she’d left her purse and cash at the apartment, so Archer would have to cover them financially. He didn’t have much on him but he had a room booked in his name at the Marriott in Times Square. They decided to head straight there to hole up and figure out what to do next. But whatever they did, they had to get off the road immediately. They had a busted tail-light courtesy of the shotgun blast. If an NYPD cop pulled them over, he would be very interested to say the least when he discovered who was inside the car.
To avoid the vast amount of cops swarming in and around Times Square, Katic drove up 8 Avenue and approached the hotel from the west. They moved through the entrance to the parking lot under the Marriott building itself on 45 and reversed into an empty slot on the first lower level, Katic applying the handbrake and killing the engine.
Before they got out, the two of them sat there and figured out a plan, Katic reaching around her seat and holding Jessie’s hand to comfort her. They couldn’t stay in the room booked under his name. Gerrard had known where he was staying and Siletti would probably have got the information out of him before he killed him. So they worked out their options, Jessie climbing over to sit in her mother’s arms, scared, hugging her.
Katic came up with an idea. They examined it from every angle, and decided it was a good one and the best they could come up with. Satisfied, they stepped out of the car, the rear of the vehicle parked against the wall to conceal the busted tail-light. Katic quickly helped her daughter out and shut the door, smoothing her hair down and wiping away her tears, reassuring and hugging her. Then taking her daughter’s hand, Katic locked the car and the three of them headed up to the lobby.
Upstairs, Archer stayed with the little girl whilst Katic approached the reception desk. Together, they watched her speak to the receptionist then take her to one side, showing her badge, and feeding her a story of how she was in witness protection and was in charge of the man and child with her. As agreed, she said that they needed to use the reservation under Archer’s name, but switch rooms and change his name on the record. Archer saw the receptionist was eager to assist, excited to be involved, and with a child present she couldn’t be more happy to help. He didn’t mind about the room switch. He had travelled light, and apart from a suit, he hadn’t left anything in the old room that couldn’t be easily replaced. During the brief conversation between Katic and the receptionist, Archer felt Jessie’s hand slide into his. He looked down at her and smiled, squeezed it gently, reassuringly.
After the receptionist complied and passed them a fresh key-card, the trio reunited and walked through the lobby into the heart of the building, Jessie releasing Archer’s hand and taking her mother’s again. Katic had done a great job calming the girl down on the way here and in the basement, and Archer saw Jessie was looking at the giant interior of the building in awe, distracted, her fear momentarily forgotten. He didn’t blame her. It was an incredible sight.
The lobby was spectacular. As you looked up, you could see the floors one-by-one, white and lit up golden by lights lining each floor. In the middle of the lobby, a square column served as the pillar for the elevators to slide up and down, ferrying guests back and forth in small capsules, like something out of a space-station you’d see in the movies. The place was white and golden, like a different world. Jessie’s eyes were as wide as saucers, her mouth open as she stared up. Archer had done something similar when he’d first walked in here himself. And given their current predicament, staying here was perfect. It was like a giant hive, endless floors with endless rooms, and in a city this big they could tuck themselves away and hide out for the evening, hidden from sight and high above the streets.
The three of them moved to the elevators just as