Thin Air Page 0,52

worm. "Do as I say," she said. "You will be safe here, so long as you don't go out or talk to anyone. She can only find you when she's close-the same way you can sense her. As long as you avoid attracting attention, you'll be fine. I am going to retrieve someone who can help you."

I had just enough spark left to ask, "Who?"

"Ashan," she said.

"David was looking for him."

"I know." Venna smiled slowly. Not a comforting kind of smile. "I've been keeping him safe; David would have killed him. And now we need him, so it's good that I got him, don't you think?"

I had no idea what to say to that. Venna smoothed down her dress, nodded to me gravely, and walked off into...thin air. Just...gone.

She came back, silent as a ghost, for a few seconds, to say, "You understand...don't go out? Don't talk to anyone? I've put clothing in the closet for you. Don't go out."

I nodded. I might not understand much of this, but that part, I got. And hey, not a bad place, as hideouts went. I was in a big, well-appointed hotel room, immaculately clean, with a big plasma TV on the wall, a comfy bed, and-visible through the open door-a gigantic whirlpool tub.

Venna gave me one last doubtful look, then vanished. I waited, but she didn't come back to check. So I got up, went to the window, and pulled the brocade curtains.

Below, a whole city stretched out, a dizzying array of architectural marvels, fountains, people, lights, cars, dazzling sunlight. There was a gigantic Sphinx's rear end pointed toward my room, about seven stories down. The window sloped, and when I craned out for a look, I saw the building itself was sloped, like the side of a pyramid.

A hospitality book on the desk identified the hotel as the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

That seemed weirdly familiar to me, but staring out at the landscape didn't seem helpful.

I went to try out the tub instead.

Chapter Seven

SEVEN

I was up to my neck in suds and blessedly warm water, experimenting with the various controls for the water jets, when I heard the door to the room open and close. I'd shut the bathroom door, so I couldn't hear or see anything else. I waited, but Venna didn't knock, and the last thing I wanted was to face her naked and dripping, anyway. I scrambled up, toweled off, and put on the underwear, blue jeans, black shirt and plain flat shoes that had been Venna's idea of appropriate costume.

I walked out, prepared to find out what kind of trouble I was in now, but it wasn't Venna.

And the two people I walked in on didn't even know I was there, at least not at first. I had to give them credit, they were very fast off the blocks-the clothing trail started at the door, with his tie, and finished in a heap at the foot of the bed. They were definitely not paying attention to me, quite, um, vigorously.

I tried tiptoeing to the door, and didn't quite get halfway there before the woman-leggy, redheaded, with a model's perfect ass, which had been on major display-caught sight of me and shrieked, falling off of her boyfriend, who thrashed around like a wounded seal in a shark tank. I held up my hands and backed toward the door.

"What the hell are you doing in our room?" he yelled, and came off the bed at me, still stark naked. I backed away, faster.

"Um...sorry, room inspector, I was just...making sure you had toilet paper, and...so, you like the bed? Brand-new bed. Very bouncy." I was babbling, shaking, and I kept fierce eye contact with him because the temptation for my gaze to wander was...overwhelming. I felt the handle of the door dig into my back, reached behind me, and twisted it open. "Sorry, sir, ma'am. Please, enjoy your stay..."

I barely made it into the hall before he slammed the door on me. I leaned there, puffing for breath, trembling with reaction, and had to put both hands over my mouth to keep from screaming with laughter.

Don't go out. Yeah, thanks, Venna. Thanks a lot.

And you know, it would all have been just fine, if Romeo hadn't gotten on the house phone and reported me, but by the time I'd gotten in the elevators the security machine was already in motion.

When the elevator dinged to a halt at the ground floor, I was wondering where the hell I ought to