Page 80 of Privilege

31

AMITY

I givethe handle an experimental pull, and the door opens smoothly. I poke my head into the stairwell, listening. There’s no sound, so I slip through the door and look up, my eyes taking in the stairs leading up another floor and beyond.

Then I hear a soft click behind me. It’s not what I was expecting to hear. I turn around and check—the door is locked!

Shoot. I don’t want to rattle it too much but I tug a couple times and it stays resolutely shut. Now I see the card slider to the right of the door.

I check for security cameras, but there are none. I’m not exactly practiced at covert missions. I look longingly down the stairs. Every instinct is telling me to go down, search for a way out of here. What’s Vale going to do if I don’t come back?

But here I am, and I can see the landing for the fourth floor above me. I climb the stairs quietly and turn to wherethe stairs keep going up. This must be the roof access we were looking for! Maybe I can get the laptop now. But where would I put it? All I have is my little purse. I continue climbing up.

The stairs are narrow above the fourth-floor landing, the railing a rough metal rather than the smooth wooden balustrade from below. A small landing greets me at the top, the floor dingy. There’s an old metal door with a push bar to open. I stop to listen but hear nothing, so I push the bar in and press into the door.

It moves half an inch and then stops, held by a deadbolt. Now I see it, a keyhole and the thin sliver of the metal bolt holding the door in place.

Frustrated, I push the door a couple more times and then begin searching the walls around the door. Maybe the key is stored around here somewhere?

The walls are rough brick, and there’s nothing. No sign of a key, no instructions, nothing posted anywhere. I search my purse for something that might help but I don’t have anything like a hairpin, not that I would know how to unlock a door with that anyway. I think it only happens in books.

Frustrated, I rattle the door one more time and start back down the stairs. Maybe Vale will have a better idea of how we can get through.

At the fourth floor I carefully try the door, but it’s locked with a card swipe, same as the third floor. I try each door until I get to the first floor, which is also locked.

What am I going to do now? There are a few stairs to my left that lead down to a door to the outside, I assume. It’s a double door made of metal, for deliveries maybe?That wouldn’t be unlocked, right? I twist the knob, push, then sigh with relief when the door slides open.

Noise greets me. I enter directly into the parking lot where I sat with Vale earlier.

I quickly push the door shut behind me.

“Where did you come from?” someone asks me immediately.

“Bathroom,” I lie and he seems to accept it. He’s not wearing black like the Brotherhood guards.

“Oh.” He stares at the doors.

I flit away. It’s gotten rowdier out here, and I don’t like being by myself. They’ve set up a ring in the parking lot, like for boxing, with sets of ropes ringing a raised platform.

Inside the ropes, two men with gloves circle each other. Around the ring there’s throngs of people shouting and pushing to get to a place where they can see. I aim for the door to go back in. I think my best bet is to meet Vale when the band comes back down from upstairs.

I push through the crowded room, back to the dance floor. Music still plays through speakers; the band is not back yet. I get over to the side of the stage where the elevators are. There are a couple of Brotherhood guards standing around the elevator and the exits over here.

While I’m trying to figure out if I should go back upstairs to Vale, the elevator door opens.

The band exits, with two other people coming behind: Vale, with his hands bound behind his back, and a Brotherhood guard.

I hesitate, not sure what to do, then decide to play dumb.

“Vale, there you are, I couldn’t find you,” I wail, coming up to him. “What’s going on?” I ask the guard.

They all look at me.

“Ami, where did you go?” Vale asks, his voice raised.

“I—I got confused.” I try to appear confused. “I went to the bathroom, then I thought we were meeting down here, but I couldn’t find you.” I turn big eyes on the guard, who is rolling his eyes at the band.

“Dude, your girlfriend’s dumb.”

---