Page 45 of The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold
They were standing way too close and breathing way too hard. He didn’t even notice when Flora turned to the next couple in the group. “Tell us about yourselves.”
“I’m Jennifer.” She was the kind of beautiful that came from being very young and very wealthy. Her hair was perfect, and her makeup was painstakingly applied to look as if she wasn’t wearing any makeup at all. But the most obvious thing about her was the look on her face that said that, somehow, she’d ended up in the wrong life—or maybe just on the wrong island. She jerked her head at the young man beside her and said, “And that’s my idiot husband, Todd.”
They looked like they should be on spring break and not at a resort that charged six figures to save dying marriages.
“Hi. We’re—”
“We’rehere on our honeymoon,” Jennifer cut Todd off with no small amount of anger and irony.
“It was the most expensive,” Todd whispered in the tone of a man who had already had this conversation. “You said ‘just book whatever’s most expensive.’ And this was the most expensive!”
“Do we look like a marriage in trouble, Todd?”
Even the birds went silent—as if they were afraid of chirpingYou do now.
“We want a refund.” Jennifer wheeled on Flora.
“I’m afraid—”
“We should stay,” Todd said. “We’re here. It’s beautiful.” He flashed her a look that could only be described as puppy dog eyes. “You’rebeautiful.”
“Fine.” Jennifer crossed her arms over her white dress and looked like she would have thrown a fit if she wasn’t afraid it might mess up her makeup.
“Oh. Well then. We’re the Johnsons,” a woman on the other side of the clearing chimed in. “I’m Felicia. This is my wife, Kimberly. We do something like this every five years, just as a tune-up.”
“Like a colonoscopy,” her wife put in.
“Ooh,” the group said in unison.
“We’re both MDs,” Felicia added, and everyone smiled as if that made the image make sense.
The other guests took turns, going around the circle, but King, frankly, tuned them out. Half of his brain was paying attention, of course (because half of King’s brain wasalwayspaying attention), but the other half was scanning the trees and the mountains—the distant waterfalls and steep cliffs that seemed to slice the island down the center. From that vantage point, he could just make out the place where the coastline curved and the ocean met a mountain so steep, the trees didn’t even try to grow there.
That’s where they tried to climb, a part of his brain put in. It was no wonder the other CIA teams had failed.
“We welcome our lovers and invite you to—”
“No, I don’t have any gum, Todd,” Jennifer whispered loud enough to be heard from the other side of the circle.
“—open your minds and your hearts to this new experience. And each other,” Flora droned on. King would occasionally catch bits about goddesses and the elements and maybe a little bit of astrology thrown in for good measure, but he was too busy taking in the cliffs and the trees and the rocky ledges covered with lush, green grass.
And there—in the distance—a fortress. It was the only word that would do the structure justice.
“Is that...” Alex murmured.
“Yeah,” King whispered. “That’s it.”
It was on the opposite ridge, just below the clouds, looking like it had grown out of the mountain itself—nothing but stone walls and steep descents. There were towers with views of the water, but as far as King could tell, just one road in and out—a steep, narrow path that zigzagged down the mountain’s side.
“I don’t like this,” Alex whispered under her breath, and for once, King couldn’t argue.
On the other side of the circle, Flora was practically vibrating. “This was once a powerful volcano. Full of fire and ice.”
“I highly doubt that,” someone said before another voice chimed, “Shut up, Todd.”
“Hot and cold come together in this place.”
For the first time, King thought that Todd might have a point.
