Robin dropped her head to the cold plywood surface of the break room table in front of her. The bright fluorescent lights and constant chatter of the other girls was starting to give her a headache.

  “What’s got you down in the dumps, girl. I thought you said your man was coming here today. From what you’ve shown and told us about, I’d be bouncing off the walls with glee if I were you.” Sarah, another maid, had entered the break room and was walking over. She was one of the few women Robin respected at the hotel. Most of the other maids were vapid and greedy, only working here for the potential to meet high net worth men. Sarah, on the other hand, enjoyed the work itself and was saving every penny for something she told no one about.

  “Ugh… Don’t remind me. I have to postpone again. He’s not going to like the news.” Robin was regretting the report but knew there was no running from it. Things were horrible at the moment. She had made no progress in the month working here, and their other projects were suffering from her absence.

  “Honey, you better hurry up and settle down. Men like that are rare,” She sat down, brought her head low and whispered. “If you don’t, one of these vultures might snatch him up.” With that, she leaned back into her chair and sighed. “Hell, if you don’t want him, I’d be happy to take him off your hands.” A playful smile crept across Sarah’s face. The comment was enough to break Robin out of her depression with a laugh.

  “I’m sure if I wasn’t in his life, he’d have his pick of the litter.” She chuckled at the thought of John with one of the other maids. They sat and chatted about the morning’s work of cleaning beds, changing towels and the like before they were interrupted by the manager entering to leave this months schedule. The frigid old widow harrumphed audibly at the sight of her two least favorite employees chatting but said nothing before leaving. Robin and Sarah continued their conversation while they waited for the crowd of women taking photos of the binder to dwindle. One of the selling points of the hotel, aside from the staff and their work, was that there was no internet and only a land line phone in each room. The employees were only permitted to use their cellphones in staff areas, and never around clients, who were required to leave their electronics with the front desk. This lack of constant updates had been another thing upsetting Robin. With the throng of chatter being dispersed again, Robin and Sarah walked up to check their own schedules.

  “Another good week for me.” Sarah was the only one who never participated in the ostentatious shows the staff were forced to put on for the whale clients. She also never had to disclose her time out of the hotel to the manager.

  “How do manage that? This stuff is awful and I know your going out and working like the rest, but it never shows up here.” Sarah smiled slightly.

  “Let’s just say I’ve been in this business longer than the hotel has, and I brought my clients with me. They were the first ones to bring any legitimacy, so I get make my own schedule. I’ll send it to you in case you need to reach me.” They returned their seats.

  “I’m guessing you do a better job of vetting too. Some of the stories the girls tell are awful.”

  “No kidding.” She hesitated somewhat before lowering her voice so that it was just audible above the chatter. “What I want to know is how you got a job here while being engaged.” She gave Robin a knowing look. Robin could feel a her body begin to lockup in fear but managed to contain it.

  “I needed the work and I’ve got a few secrets of my own,” She paused for a moment and thought back to her mission. “Actually, speaking of secrets, who is Mary N and why is she the only one that works the penthouse.” The obvious deflection did nothing to satisfy Sarah, but she let it go easily enough and answered.

  “She’s the niece of the owner. This place is his dream project, but being the wealthy and powerful man he is, he’s never satisfied staying in one place for long. The penthouse is his primary residence and doesn’t trust any of the staff to take care of it. It’s her only job. I can introduce you if you want. We’re supposed to hang out tonight, if your still here that is.” Robin laughed at the insinuation and was about to respond when Sarah leaned slightly to check the break room door, which Robin could hear had just opened. “Speak of the devil.” She increased her volume and gave a quick hello to the curtain of raven hair that swept past them both towards the lockers. “Don’t mind that, She’s probably just listening to a book or video.” Another one of those exceptions of the rules.

  “I’ll be here, I’m the boss in that relationship for sure. But I think I’ll go introduce myself.” Robin got up and followed Mary out the door and into the hotel lobby. The hotel had a very early check-out time, 9:30 AM, in order to free up time in the afternoon for the girls. With it being noon, the room was empty, aside from the lobby attendant, a muscled up man who was intimidating to any idiot looking to cause trouble, and whom the girls trusted implicitly. Robin found this out first hand when she had come to him for help with a drunk guest that was pestering her for service. He had dispatched the man with gusto and banned him from returning after charging him a healthy tip for Robin’s trouble. He nodded silently at the women as they passed. They were almost at the elevator when Mary was brought back to reality with a start by a gentle tap on the arm.

  “Oh my god!” Mary exclaimed quickly as she turned on a dime to face Robin.

  “Sorry about that.” Robin gave the woman a moment to collect herself before continuing. “Again I’m sorry. My name’s Robin, I was talking with Sarah and she said you two were going to hang out tonight and wanted to know if I could join. Sarah was the one that offered, but I figured I should introduce myself and ask you before then.” Sarah took another couple more deep breaths before responding.

  “Well … I don’t know,” She looked Robin up and down thoughtfully before deciding. “You can’t be that bad if Sarah likes you.” It was then that John arrived and spotted them.

  “There’s my stunning bride-to-be. Quick, to me. Let us enjoy a stunning meal before I whisk you away and have my way with you.” The idiot was laughing it up, enjoying his role too much.

  “Or maybe I’m wrong.” Robin could hear the elevator ding as Mary stepped inside. “Guess we’ll find out, seeya.” Robin’s palm found it’s mark on her face before she gave a death glare in John’s direction. He froze where he stood, covered his mouth and barely managed to contain a snort.

  “How many times do I have to say I’m sorry,” They passed beneath John opened the door to the restaurant and let Robin pass him. “If I had known what was going on, I never would have said that.” They introduced themselves to the hostess who showed them to their seats.

  “Jackass. Who was that for anyways?” She took the menu she was handed with a little more force than intended, a modicum of guilt began to eat away at her anger. Robin’s mother had been a waitress and always treated wait staff with kindness, a value she instilled in her daughter. John took his menu and apologized for Robin, using his own earlier behavior to cover.

  “The lobby guy. He chuckled. Apparently he already knows you give orders, not take them. Besides, I thought you could use a good laugh after spending a month in that hellscape of greed and vanity.” Robin’s anger melted as she remembered her news about the mission. A waiter in a prim and perfect outfit walked up and got their drink orders before departing again to give them time to check the menu. They sat in silence for a moment while scanning over the single page, all the while Robin labored under the weight of her failure. “Anything look good?” John was browsing the wine list, looking for a wine pairing. His family owned a vineyard in France and despite their falling out, his interest in the topic hadn’t waned.

  “My friend Sarah likes the ni?oise salad, but I think I want to try the duck. What about you?” Robin wanted nothing more than to melt into seat beneath her but would settle for painful stalling instead.

  “Salmon, always salmon.” It was true, John never turned down a meal, but given the choice he preferred to stay away from meats, aside from fish. He looked up from the menu and raised an eyebrow. “You look like you’re about to burst.” He thought for a brief moment. “Don’t tell me we can’t finish this job.” Robin couldn’t find the words and shook her head before taking a gulp of water and responding.

  “Well, the thing is …” She felt like a child trying to avoid taking accountability for a mess. This reflection caught her off guard and forced the words from her mouth. “I’ve got nothing.”

  “What do you mean you have nothing? How is that possible?” His expression was cold but his voice remained steady.

  “They’ve had me running ragged, cleaning beds and helping the others since I’m ‘engaged’ and can’t participate in the more lucrative work.”

  “In a month. You’ve just been playing maid for an entire month. Why didn’t you message me, we could have reworked the problem?” His frustration was growing more and more apparent. She couldn’t blame him. Their work had been evenly split until now, but with Robin busy, he had taken on both roles. Knowing him, he had probably been getting less than 3 hours of sleep each night to keep up with their entire global network.

  “I’ve tried a thousand different ways but the security on the room itself is ridiculous. Not to mention how he’s air-gapped his system from the hotel. I just met the woman who’s been cleaning it and was planning on using that angle. I’m sure we can get it, I just need another week or two.” This was the last straw.

  “You just met her?!” His voice was still barely contained to their unoccupied area but was increasing in volume rapidly. “Another week or two?! Are you kidding me Rob–” She cut him off by reaching over the table and placing a hand over his mouth. The other patrons were staring now, this place the hand over his mouth stopped him dead in his tracks. Robin, sure he would keep his cool now, let her hand fall as she returned to her seat. As if attached to a seesaw, John rose and straightened his tie before taking a breath. “I’m going to use the restroom, order me a glass of red wine please.” With that, he stepped awkwardly around the many concerned faces littering the floor space of the restaurant.

  A moment later, a waitress came to Robin with a concerned look. Robin waved it off with the explanation of wedding scheduling before ordering for them both before placing their order. The waitress, obviously not convinced, stepped away and their original waiter stopped by with the Marsannay she ordered, along with two glasses. John returned shortly after, looking much more relaxed. He sat and swirled the wine before sniffing and tasting.

  “Good choice.”

  “Thanks.”

  They sat in silence until their food arrived. They both took a few bites before John decided to break the silence.

  “Two weeks is too long. I’m also hesitant to let you stay a week. Things are getting more complex and the construction is almost done. We have other ways of getting the information, this was just the most convenient. At least I thought it was.” Robin hated failing and knew she was close now that she met Mary.

  “Another couple days, I’m hanging out with her tonight.” She was desperate. The other options John was referring to would essentially become a seal team operation. They didn’t have anyone with the skills and training for that type of task besides herself and John, and she wanted nothing to do with the growing crop of global mercenaries.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “And? You hang out with her, how long until she trusts you? When can you get in?” Robin grimaced under the questioning. She knew nothing about Mary and was totally flying by the seat of her pants. And yet, She felt like she couldn’t concede.

  “Ok, executive ruling.” John’s anger was bubbling up again. Nothing agitated him more than when she invoked her authority on missions. “Reschedule your flight, extend your stay one more night. I’ll go back and we can talk about this again tomorrow.” She waited for his response as he stewed in the decision. He could have made a bigger stand, she had backed down on these decisions before with the right argument, and yet, he gave in with a drawn out sigh.

  “Ok, one more day. Then I’m really gonna have to put my foot down in this argument. I’ve got too many plates spinning on my own here.” He returned to his meal.

  “I know, I’m sorry. And thankful to have such a good employee.” The jab was exactly what John needed to drop the exhausted face.

  “Watch it.” Robin laughed and a slight smile cracked through John’s glare. With the matter settled, they finished their meals, shifting the conversation to the rest of their work. John walked Robin to the hotel before returning to his own, looking to Robin a thousand times more ragged than when he first arrived.

  Robin returned to her room and stripped out of her fancier attire for something much more casual. She flopped onto the bed and spent the next hour scrolling through emails, marking the important but not urgent, responding to the necessary, and ignoring the rest. She was about to enjoy a movie she had downloaded on her phone when she got the text from Sarah letting her know which room to go to. She rode the elevator up to the second from last floor and found the room in question. Sarah opened the door when Robin knocked.

  “We were just getting started, I brought sodas but Mary has hard lemonade too.” Robin walked in and closed the door behind her. The room had the same structure as her own, and every other room in the hotel, but it had been decorated thoroughly. The standard twin bed had been shoved as close to the window as possible. The traditional hotel desk was topped with books, pen and paper, and a closed top of the line laptop. The rest of the space had been cordoned off with a paper divider to create a small living space. A tiny love seat and wing-backed chair rested at a right angle to each other, with a lamp tucked into the corner between them. Several shelves were mounted to the separate walls, laced with books of every genre and dozens of knickknacks. All the remaining wall space had been covered with posters and photos. It was such a stark shift in attitude that Robin was stunned.

  “Uh,” was the only sound that escaped her before she nearly bumped into the TV console. “I’ll take a lemonade.” She finally brought her attention to the others where she noticed Mary simply pointing at the fridge in answer. “Right, thanks. This place looks way better than any of the other rooms I’ve seen, even Sarah’s, no offense.” Sarah shook her head in agreement.

  “None taken. Most of us don’t spend our time here, but Mary is supposed to be constantly on call. It would make sense she puts this much time and energy into her space. She’s also been her almost as long as I have.” Sarah took a seat on the couch next to Mary and grabbed one of the bags of chips and opening it.

  “Ugh, don’t remind me how long I’ve been here.” She cracked open her can and took a long sip before putting her feet up on the table and leaning back in her seat. “I don’t know how much longer I can take this, Only so many books to read, games to play, TV to watch.”

  “Oh yeah, Why haven’t you left yet?” Robin took the remaining spot and grabbed some chips out of the bag Sarah offered.

  “I haven’t saved up enough yet to move. Not the easiest thing getting out of the country right now.” Mary sat up and grabbed the remote to turn on music. “Paper walls.” She turned her attention to Sarah now. “Speaking of money, you still won’t tell me where yours goes. You work and sleep. All your meals are paid for and I’ve never seen you wearing jewelry or clothing you bought yourself.”

  “Old men with plenty of time and money to lavish me with. I don’t charge as much as you think, and it all goes into a savings.” Both Robin and Mary looked at her in confusion. Knowing she had only created more questions than answers, she began. “Most of them don’t even want me for my body. I’m smart, I can listen, and I’m damn good looking. Most of the time I act more like a therapist than anything else.”

  “Interesting” Robin had suspected something of the like but had nothing to go on.

  “Ok, and what’s the savings for?” Mary couldn’t stop herself from digging deeper now that the door was open.

  “That,” she paused for a moment before making a decision. “I think I’ll be keeping that to myself.”

  “No fair, you already know my plans.” Sarah couldn’t help herself from giggling.

  “Ooh, fancy plans for after the move? Gonna explore the world or something?” Robin wanted any indication of how to convince Mary toward her goal.

  “Something like that. What about you? After the wedding that is.” She still didn’t trust Robin enough obviously, more prodding was needed.

  “That’s right, How’d it go earlier.”

  “Not great, but we agreed to talk about it some more tomorrow. He’s been working too much and needed some sleep before we discuss the problem more.”

  “Can’t be that bad then. So future plans are big house, few kids,” Mary paused for a moment, eyeing Robin before finishing her guess, “and a dog. You seem like a dog person” Robin couldn’t help but smile.

  “I am, and something like that.” Mary smiled back at the replayed retort. Sarah gulped the soda in her mouth.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up a sore spot.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s not that big a deal, but you still haven’t answered.” Sarah frowned at the continued prodding of her business. She opened her mouth but was interrupted by her cellphone going off. “Saved by the bell.”

  “Of course,” Sarah took the call in the bathroom after walking away with a smile. Robin took this moment to scan the room in more detail. She spotted a poster of a popular underground duo of folk musicians known as Alan & Dale. The same band Robin had been funding and helping to distribute their music. She was really starting to like Mary’s style.

  “You like their music?” She pointed at the poster. A note of concern and worry crept into Mary’s voice as she brushed it off.

  “Uh, yeah…” She was looking for a way to avoid making her ideology known. “A friend likes them and had a second poster. I haven’t listened to much yet.” Robin’s smile widened, having found her target to pounce on.

  “I love them, their guitar work is legendary and the lyrics are great.” It got the reaction she was hoping for. A wide eyed Mary stared at Robin who hadn’t lost her smile. She was about to speak when the bathroom door opened and Sarah walked out looking somewhat remorseful.

  “I just got an amazing offer to be eye candy for some gala tonight. I’m really sorry, but would it be a problem if I left you two alone tonight?”

  “I think we just found some good common ground. I’m happy to stay, but if you want me to go, I have some other work to do before the next couple days.” Robin sipped her lemonade with the smile still visible in her eyes.

  “No!” The reaction caught all three of them off guard. “I mean, like you said, we just found something in common. I’d like to talk more.” Sarah couldn’t help laughing at a joke only she knew the punchline to.

  “I thought you two would get along.” She walked to the door and called back “Like two peas in a pod. Goodnight ladies.” and with that, the two sat there alone.

  “Ok, what do you want?” Mary obviously thought Robin would hold this over her.

  “I want something, but we can talk about that later.” She got up and started walking towards one of the wall shelves and pulled a book down. “I’ve read this, but I remember it having more pages.” She removed the books dust jacket to reveal a copy of Blueprint for Revolution by Sr?a Popovi?. Moment by moment Robin was finding herself liking Mary more. “Oh, well that would explain this.” Robin turned back to see Mary pale as a ghost.

  “God dammit” She whispered under her breath. “Get to the point.”

  “I like to take my time with these sorts of things when people have connections like yours,” Robin dropped the book on the table and returned to her seat with a regal elegance. “but seeing this, I think I can trust you. I need to get into your uncle’s apartment.” This broke Mary’s brain temporarily as she sputtered responses.

  “Wait, what? I thought you were a–”

  “A spy? Yeah no, I was just fucking with you.” Robin cut her off and enjoyed the sudden turn. “I do actually like their music. And I’ve thoroughly read through the book, lots of important info there.”

  “Bullshit.” Robin had to admit Mary had no reason to believe her after that charade but was cautious to go all in. The better part of her nature struggled against the part of her brain that told her to trust Mary. In the end, she decided to pull the trigger and told Mary her real name.

  “I can prove it, but I need to call John to do it, he has my ID” Again, a brain broken Mary tried to put the pieces together.

  “So you’re just trying to destroy my uncle and take over the business yourself?” Robin shook her head.

  “Not a bad side project once we get what were looking for, but your uncle is far more connected to those in power than you think.” She dialed up John, who answered the phone after the second call. “Hey can you bring my stuff,” She looked at the table which was now empty aside from the two bags small empty bags of chips. “Ooh and bring snacks, we might be here for a while.” Robin covered the mic and spoke to Mary now. “What do you want?”

  Robin spent the next half hour in trying to convince Mary she wasn’t going to turn her in. Things were finally settling when they heard a knock on the door, instantly sending Mary into panic.

  “Relax, It’s just John. No one’s coming to get you.” Robin got up to answer.

  “Not yet.”

  “That comes with the territory, but if you work for me, I’ll protect you with my life.” Robin was nothing if not careful, so she checked the peephole before opening the door for John.

  “Hey,” He definitely looked less tired, but still unkempt.

  “Hand me my passport.” She was rushing for this to calm Mary enough to get into the project.

  “Whoa, hold up.” He pushed her into the room and closed the door before continuing. “You already told her your name? What were you thinking? Way too fast.”

  “I gave Paul my ID almost immediately.” She argued back

  “Yeah, an old man covered in dirt and on the verge of death. He could have gone straight to the police after that and nothing would have happened. But this? If you were anyone else, I’d say you were thinking with your dick.” That statement caught Robin off guard as she considered the thought. Mary was indeed beautiful, but Robin have never found herself attracted to anyone enough to act on it. She thought back to previous situations like this and realized she had acted in haste.

  “Fuck, am I?” She barely said it but that was enough to wake John up. He handed her the plastic booklet and walked past her.

  “Oh, now I have to see this.” He stepped into the room proper and glanced at their host before looking back at Robin as if to say “You absolutely were.” Mary stood and introduced herself.

  “Hi there,” She was still somewhat confused on how to act. “It’s nice to meet Robin’s fiance.” John guffawed so loud it scared the woman.

  “That’s fake, just for the mission.” He took the solo chair and opened his bag to grab the laptop within. Robin came back after a moment, still perplexed, and joined Mary on the couch as the three discussed the mission after confirming they were who they said they were.

  It had been a week since Robin and John had visited her and vanished the next day. Mary had packed her bag with all her important belongings and was ready to leave but still unsure whether to follow through. All she had to do was plug a small USB into her uncle’s computer and leave with the ticket they provided. She had been anxious about the whole thing and was waiting until the final day, today, to place it. She swiped herself into the room like normal and spent the next two hours keeping up with the regular cleaning she had called a routine over the years. With that done, she walked to the computer desk she practically ignored everyday. She pulled the stick from her pocket and knelt before the metal box. She revealed an unorganized nest of wire growing from the different slots of the PC as she pulled it from the wall. She spotted the two open USB 3 ports and hesitated before adding the dongle. They told her that it would activate on its own the moment the computer was on and unlocked, silently and invisibly installing a virus that would send mountains of important files to John’s server. She pressed the male port into place and returned the computer to its original position, adjusting the wires to hide the new device better. She stood and returned to the entrance and was about to press on the handle when it fell from beneath her hand. She stepped back in a rush as her uncle stepped in.

  “Sir Guy,” He had ordered her to refer to him in that way when they were in the room together. Her stomach turned every time she was forced to say it. He stepped through and gave the disgusting smile that often made small children run in fear. Bringing his hand up beneath her chin and gently brushed her cheek. She was used to the unwarranted touch and this gave her the boost needed to keep her fear under control.

  “Providence, my dear, is what brings you here to me today. Yours and Gods.” He had an unnerving way of invoking religion at the oddest of times. “Nothing brightens my day more than seeing my sweet, pretty niece’s face.” He dropped his belongings on the table and began to strip as he walked towards the bedroom, leaving clothes along the way.

  “Would you like me to bring you something?” Mary asked as she picked up each piece of clothing and dropped it into a clothes hamper he had passed on his way to the bathroom. The flow of water through pipes could be heard as the shower started.

  “Darling, I would love it If you could prepare a glass of whiskey for me” She did just as he asked after a few minutes. The ice was just starting to sweat when he turned off the shower and stepped out of the bathroom with a barely tied robe. He sipped at the liquor before exhaling in satisfaction. “Delicious.” He said this after placing the glass on the table and licking his lips while looking at Mary. He walked away after letting his gaze linger. “You’re free to go, I have important work to do and can’t be distracted. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

  “Yes, sir.” She bowed and walked out the door towards the elevator, trying her best not to rush. She got to her room and changed into normal street wear before grabbing her bag and leaving.

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