The Life We Lead: Ascending Read Free Page A

want an
extra room. Bryan snores very loudly,” James assured her.
    “What is snorts?” she asked, her head
slightly to the side.
    James figured it was easier just to
demonstrate, which made Natalia laugh.
    “Very funny,” she said. “Yes, that room is
open. You would like, da?”
    “Da,” answered James. He handed her enough
money to cover the room fees for the next few days and collected
the keys.
    ***
    “Daen, how you feeling, buddy?” James asked
in a semi-soft voice as he entered their room a minute later.
    A low “uggggghhh,” was all the reply he
got.
    “We’re supposed to meet Petior in about
ninety minutes. Since you were so gung-ho on going out tonight,
you’d better shape up so we can go.”
    James sat down on his bed as Daen stirred in
the other one. “I have some things to prep,” he told his groggy
friend, “but won’t be long, so if you could ...”
    “How are you even functioning, man? You had
almost as many shots as me and you ain’t anything!” Daen spoke in
the loudest voice his head could take.
    “I don’t know what to tell ya, but how about
you be in and out of the shower before I get back?” James grabbed
his clothes and suitcase.
    “Where you goin’?” Daen’s head poked out from
the covers, looking a lot worse than James had expected.
    “Long story short, I was followed today, and
we may have a visitor. I booked the room below this one and need to
make it look like I’m staying in it. I’m also hooking up some
sensors in there so need to run a cable. In fact, if you jump in
the shower now, I’ll drill while you’re showering so the sound
doesn’t kill you.”
    “Gimme two minutes, and that is very
considerate, man.” Daen shuffled out of bed and toward the
bathroom.
    James finished packing. When he heard the
shower running, he picked a spot about an inch from the interior
wall behind a dresser set. He was betting each of the rooms in the
hotel was set up in the same fashion, though after he started
drilling it occurred to him that he should have verified that
first. Even when his assumptions were logical, he liked to confirm
what he could.
    He finished the hole and ran a length of
cable down before hooking the other end to a monitor that would
remain in the room he and Daen shared.
    He grabbed his stuff and made his way
downstairs. He approached room nine, then stopped. “Check first,
genius,” he said to himself.
    Walking up to Natalia, he asked, “Excuse me,
Natalia, has anyone else come in or out of the hotel since I left
you?”
    “No, you are looking for someone?” she
asked.
    “Bryan and I are meeting a friend for dinner
and want to make sure he hasn’t already arrived. Thank you,” said
James, giving her a smile as he walked away.
    Entering room nine, James found he’d been
correct to think the rooms would all be set up the same. Only the
furniture differed. In this case, the dresser was long and flat,
though in the same spot as the one above. It was covered with a
thin layer of dust from the drilling.
    James put his clothes and toiletries in their
proper places before installing the hardware. He then installed the
two-way split mini-camera that would allow him to see the room via
the monitor upstairs.
    He could see the bathroom door as well as the
large window on the opposite wall of the main door. His blind spot
was the entrance, but a hallway remote camera would let him see the
door, hallway, and lobby.
    He taped remote flash capsules inside the
bathroom door as well as near the window. This way, if he needed a
quick entrance or exit, he could blind his visitors for a few
moments.
    He stepped into the hall and walked to the
fake plant one door down. He picked it up and moved it to the other
side of the hall to get a better view, then attached the
camera.
    Next came planting the guns. First he had to
plant a tranquilizer gun that he could get to with his hands
potentially bound. He decided to plant it under the chair next to
the window.
    The 9 mm