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I inhaled to fight him, but I didn’t knohat I could hardly tell hi turned away, but I wasn’t sure what else to say "Sure, okay"

I walked back to o-lady and a hundred ti in their roouest services to make a report I shook my head and opened ain

I washedfor me on the room phone I pulled out Asher’s cell phone and tried to call out, but I didn’t get a signal I hadn’t brought a laptop, since ere supposed to be vacationing And I tried to make an outside call from the in-room phone, only to find that that system had been disconnected as well Probably so people like o buddies Guest services got through, but only to hold music, and then a "your call will be answered in thirty-sevento do would be to wait here for the full twenty-four hours Asher would coure out some way to contact me

But the small dark voice of my mind whispered, If he doesn’t, what then?

I didn’t really know

I stared at the N95

If I had a te it would boil my baby alive

But if Asher didn’t co bad had happened to his he didn’t mean--and he didn’t make promises he couldn’t keep If twenty-four hours passed without hiain I dry-sed and tried to cal any hard choices--yet

I sat on the bed, pulled my knees up to my chin, and turned on the TV

An hour of television I couldn’t remember later, there was a knock at the door

"Asher?" I stood, bri with hope And then I remembered that he would have a rooh the peephole "Who’s there?"

"I need a favor," a h the door It was the father of the family next door I locked up the chain and opened up the door the six inches it allowed--revealing hihter at his side, her Coke-bottle glasses peering out fearfully "My wife’s still down there with our boy I need to check in on theain and undid the latch so we could have a nor down there? We’re all supposed to be in our rooms"

"With these" He held out his hand His wife’s dias sat in his palers around the stones "And I’m not an idiot--there’s more than one set of stairs on this floor"

I looked frohter--I wasn’t in the ht back I just have to check up on the to his leg like a barnacle Ignoring me, he started to pry her loose

"Look, you really should wait I’ to shut the door, wishing I’d never undone the chain lock

He craned forward to look quickly aroundup his own mind "You’re not a parent, you wouldn’t understand"

At that, rabbed Emily bodily and pulled her off him "Emily, I need you to stay here with this nice woht back, with Zach and Mo, but she did nod, once With him so bound and determined, what else could she do? He shoved her at me and handed me a room card When I didn’t take it, he let it drop on the floor

"I’ll be back as soon as I can," he said and rushed out of the roo ue, but he was running the other direction from the elevator and stairwell down the hall--and I found I didn’t want to get him busted I sed my shout Maybe his crazy plan would work It didn’t occur to me until then that I should have asked him to check in on Asher, too

I looked down at Emily and she started to cry

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Usually when I had to deal with crying children, I was getting paid to do it, which , but she’d face-planted onthick braid spooled beside her tearful face like rope I picked up the key to her room and wiped it on my jeans