Page 69 of Box of Frogs
I was prepared to argue with him; I couldn’t face staking out this place until we were sure about who was inside. I didn’t have the energy and I wasn’t convinced Julie had the time. Fortunately, Morgan offered a low murmur of agreement, pivoted and led the way back to the first side door.
The door handle was a simple affair. Morgan twisted it and I gave a brief sigh of relief when the door swung open. Weak florescent light poured out. Morgan looked round the edge of the door and held up his arm to me with his fingers curled into a tight fist. It was obviously some kind of silent signal but, not being SWAT or even in possession of a memory that might tell me what he wanted me to do, I simply stared. Then I stepped past him and into the building.
Morgan grabbed my shoulder. ‘What are you doing?’ he hissed.
‘Breaching the stronghold.’
‘I told you to wait!’
I shook my head. ‘No, you didn’t.’
He made the gesture again. ‘This means wait.’
I tilted my head. ‘How am I supposed to know that?’
Morgan rolled his eyes in despair. He beckoned with one hand. ‘This is come.’ Then he circled one index finger in the air. ‘This is return to the rally point. That’s here.’ He moved his hand up and down. ‘This is crouch down.’
I flung my arms up in the air. ‘This is Y,’ I said.
‘Why what?’
I ignored the question and moved my arms again, curving my fingers down to my head. ‘This is M.’ I switched. ‘This is C. And this is…’
‘Very funny.’ For some reason, he wasn’t smiling. ‘How is it that you know the dance moves to a stupid song but you can’t remember anything important?’
‘I think you’re underestimating the role of the Village People in human culture. And I don’t know why I remember that. I don’t know why I remember how to drive or how to speak English. Nothing about any of this makes any sense to me.’
‘You don’t make any sense to me,’ he growled.
I flipped up my middle finger. ‘I remember this signal too.’
Morgan clenched his teeth. ‘Fine. Forget the signals. Just…’ he sighed in irritation. ‘Just let me go in front and follow my lead.’
I saluted. ‘Aye, aye.’
He tutted and pushed past me.
The exchange had loosened the knot of tension inside my stomach and helped me to relax slightly. That was good; if I jumped at every shadow or tiptoed along on tenterhooks, I’d get both of us noticed. The banter seemed to have helped Morgan, too, despite him appearing vexed. His shoulders were less rigid. I decided that could only be a good thing.
In any case, now that we were inside the time for fun and games was over. Rubus must be here – which meant the entire building was probably teeming with his minions. The fact that I was supposed to be one of those minions didn’t exactly fill me with joy. Whatever he’d been to me in the past, if he’d harmed one hair on Julie’s head just because she was a vampire, I’d burn this place to the ground and everyone in it.
I closed the door behind us, using a piece of cardboard to wedge it open so we could make a fast exit if we had to. Then I caught up to Morgan, my eyes swinging this way and that for any signs of life. So far there was nothing more than a long corridor with cracked bare walls and overhanging strip lights. Rubus’s life certainly wasn’t as glamorous or luxurious as I’d expected. What was the point in being evil if it didn’t translate into gold-plated penthouse apartments?
We must have gone at least twenty feet down the dingy hallway before we came to a doorway. We came to a halt outside it, listening for any sounds. After a moment, Morgan turned to me and frowned. I shook my head. Nope. I couldn’t hear a damned thing, either. I knew enough about my own abilities by now; if someone was beyond that door, even if they were only breathing, I’d have been able to hear them.
Morgan’s expression was stony; he clearly wasn’t happy with the lack of life we’d come across so far. He squared his shoulders and set off again. I stayed as close to his back as I could. There was no way I was going to be left behind.
The same thing happened three times. There were three more closed doors; each time, we stopped and waited, listening with all our faery might, but there was nothing. The warehouse appeared to be completely deserted.
There was a right turn at the end of the corridor. Morgan started down it but I touched his shoulder in a bid to forestall him. ‘Something about this isn’t right,’ I whispered.
‘I know.’
‘It’s too quiet.’
‘I know.’
‘We’re probably walking into a trap.’
