There are jobs where everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. Tonight seemed to be one of those nights. Robbie hadn't thought so until they came into the hotel lobby and then with each step their tasks seemed to get harder like in the levels of a damned video game. They'd even checked the set of rooms off a hall that was immediately to the right of the main entrance, risking going past the bar in front of everyone twice, only to find no cash and no object large enough to contain that much cash. Until they got further instructions from either Rebecca or Frank, Robbie decided they should join the two men they'd knocked out in the supply closet.
Now, they just had to wait for Rebecca to figure something out. The air quickly grew stale. He didn't like the sound of those footsteps passing by in the hallway outside. They sounded male. If he was headed into the safe room, Jimmy could conceal himself inside the safe. Hopefully the person wouldn't notice the tiny hole above the lock. He thought he could hear the sound of a key turning in a latch when one of the men at his feet let out a quiet moan. The knocked-out guards were starting to come round and Eddie was out of chloroform. Great.
"Heard from what's-his-face yet?" Eddie whispered in his high, raspy Don Corleone voice.
Robbie shook his head. He could barely see his buddy's facial features, shadows outlined by slightly lighter shadows, but assumed that response was enough. Nothing made him more paranoid than being trapped in an enclosed space like this. He never liked being anywhere that had no second exit. The air was hard to breathe and reeked of photocopy toner or some other nasty chemical. His legs ached as he balanced against a stack of cardboard boxes, trying not to squash them. There was barely enough floor space for both of them to stand.
The only light came from a crack at the bottom of the door. Now that he thought about it, no one passing by in the hallway outside would notice a faint light in here. He took his phone out of his pocket and cupped it in one of his hands. Come on, Rebecca, he prayed. Answer my text.
"Hear that?" whispered Eddie.
Robbie was about to respond with hear what and then he heard the voices, rising but still muffled. Some sort of commotion, everyone talking at once. And they were getting closer. A medical emergency by the sounds of it. What if the lounge's first aid kit was stored in here. Robbie fumbled around for the smooth round door handle. They had to be in a room that didn't lock from the inside.
His earpiece crackled, followed by a really long beep. Henry's warning voice rang in his head: get out of here now. He watched Eddie stoop to hold a rag to the mouth of the man who had been starting to come to. They only needed to buy themselves a few more minutes. He opened the door a crack. He was about to peer out when his phone beeped. A text: Change of plans as discussed yesterday - J.