4. Tuvid

4

TUVID

" T he door must be jammed," I said, frowning at it.

Angie edged in beside me. "Let me try."

I stepped out of her way. Maybe she knew a trick that would open it. She also turned the lever and pushed hard, but it didn't budge.

"Something's . . ." She slammed her shoulder into the panel.

"Wait. Let me help."

I backed up and while she turned the handle, I slammed my shoulder into the door.

It still didn't open.

"It's locked. How can it be locked?" Angie started banging her fists on the metal. "Gracie? Emma? Anyone! Open the door."

I joined in with her, hollering while slamming my fists on the metal panel. We created a racket but no one outside the room seemed to hear.

"It's well-insulated," she said. "I doubt anyone would hear us even if they were walking by." She kept slamming her fists on it. Finally, she turned and leaned against the door, shoving strands of her gorgeous reddish blonde hair off her face and swiping the sweat off her brow. "I don't understand."

I did. Or I had a suspicion.

"Is there any way the panel might accidentally lock?" I asked.

"It can't. You have to slide the bar across and type the code on the touchpad outside. It can't just randomly happen."

A glance showed there was no access to the lock on the inside.

"We'll keep banging," she said." Gracie makes rounds through the brewery before she locks up to make sure no one from a tour snuck off on their own or went to the bathroom and hasn't come out."

"We'll keep making noise, then."

I kept slamming my fists on it, creating dull thuds until I noticed Angie was getting cold. Her bare arms rippled with shivers, and she wrapped them around her waist. She wore a skirt that skimmed across her thighs above her knees. I hadn't been able to resist checking out her legs and cute ass as she walked across the street and over to her car. She wore striped sneakers, but heels wouldn't be comfortable or practical in a place like this, though I had no experience in wearing them myself.

"It was about five-thirty when we entered the chiller, right?" she asked, glancing at her phone before sliding it back into her skirt pocket. "It's after six now." She gnawed on her lower lip. "Oh, and in case you're about to ask, there's no cell service in here. This place was built like an underground bunker."

"Too bad." I looked around and found a small keg, hefting it to carry it over to the metal door. I smacked the bottom against the panel, creating a satisfying clang.

"Great idea," she said. "That's a sixth barrel. They hold about five gallons and they're light when they're empty." Her frown deepened as I continued to hurtle it against the door. "That one's full and it weighs almost sixty pounds. Isn't it too heavy to haul around like that?"

"I'm a gargoyle."

"Last I checked, none of you have played Superman in a movie."

"Did you look that up online too?'

"No, should I?"

I flashed my fangs her way. "One of us should. It's time a monster had a chance to play the role, don't you think?"

"Every other actor in Hollywood has been Superman, so sure, why not a gargoyle?" She tapped her chin. "Although . . ."

I lowered the keg, frowning. "Although what?"

Pure mischief filled her eyes. It made my heart pound against my ribcage, seeking a way out. No, seeking a way to her. "Maybe a bigger and stronger monster should play Superman instead."

My frown tightened. "I'm big." I hefted the full keg up over my head. "Strong."

"I was thinking of an orc like Katar. Or an ogre."

"I'm as big as Katar. As big as an ogre." I'd never felt monster-deficient, but I did now .

Her eyes sparkled. "Alright, you're hired."

"You were teasing me." I lowered the keg to the floor. I'd been banging it against the door for at least fifteen minutes. I'd dented the surface. I could take a break for a few moments.

"I was." Her smile bloomed, and my breathing came to a halt.

"You're gorgeous when you smile," I croaked.

Her eyebrows lifted and that gleam was back in her pretty eyes. "Only when I smile?"

"All the time."

"If you keep that up, I'm going to think you like me, Secret Agent Tuvid."

"Maybe I do."

"Just maybe?"

My grin joined in with hers. "No maybe about it."