The Cold Kiss Read Online Free PDF

else’s problem. Maybe they could track down Lilith, whoever she was, and get her to come and take him home.
    Either way, it wouldn’t be my problem.
    The five hundred dollars he paid us was great, but there were limits to what I’d do for money.

6
    I tried the door, and when it didn’t open I leaned against the glass and looked inside. There were several candles set up along the front desk and in the corners of the office. They were lit and they filled the room with a soft gold light.
    I could see an open door along the far wall, and beyond it, the jagged reflection of a fire burning in a fireplace.
    I tried the door again then knocked on the glass.
    A moment later a shadow moved in the back room and a man came out into the office. He waved to me then came over and turned the lock.
    I stepped back and let the door swing open. When it did, a set of welcome bells chimed above me.
    The man in the office was small but built thick. At first I thought he was just a kid, then, when my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw the deep lines on his face and the aged green tattoos on his forearms.
    He definitely wasn’t a kid.
    “Sorry about that,” the man said. “We make it a habit of locking up after dark. We’ve got a late-night buzzer, but the damned thing ain’t working tonight.”
    He stepped away from the door and I went in. The room felt as warm as it’d looked from outside.
    “You get turned around, too?”
    “What?”
    “Highway’s closed up by Ridgemont.” He walked around the front desk. “State patrol’s not letting anyone through tonight.”
    “I didn’t see any cars out there.”
    “We’ve had one or two, but most people aren’t crazy enough to be out in this storm, especially on this road.” He waved me off. “No matter. Tonight’s a bad night for guests anyway. It’s probably for the best.”
    “You got a phone?”
    “Sure, but it’s down. Phone’s out, power’s out, nothing’s working. We’ve got gas heat, thank God, otherwise—”
    “No phone?”
    “No nothing,” he said. “We got running water and warm rooms and that’s about it. I was back in the kitchen moving food into coolers so it doesn’t go bad, just in case we’re stuck like this for a while.”
    “Any idea how long?”
    He pointed to an old dial radio on a shelf behind the desk. “I got this thing running on batteries, but all it tells me is there’s more snow coming, like I needed to be told.”
    “How about a doctor? Is there one around?”
    “Not close.”
    “A hospital?”
    The expression on the man’s face told me the answer.
    “There’s no hospital around here,” he said. “There’s a clinic about forty miles north in Frieberg, but you’re not going to get there tonight, not in this storm.”
    I felt the frustration build in my chest and I could feel myself slipping. I did my best to stay calm, but when I spoke again there was an edge to my voice.
    “If there’s no doctor, what do you people do if someone breaks an arm or a leg, then what?”
    “Well, that’s never happened that I can recall,” he said. “But if it did, I suppose we’d have to get someone to give us a ride to the clinic in Frieberg, but we can’t really do that tonight, can we?” He spoke slowly, like he was talking to a small child. “You have been outside, right? You’ve seen the snow?”
    I turned away and walked back to the door and stared at my face reflecting gold in the black window. I forced myself to calm down, then I went over my options.
    There weren’t many.
    “You got someone sick out there?”
    I told him I did, and that it might be something serious.
    The man nodded. “I feel for you, but all we’ve got here is a warm place to rest.” He paused. “There’s a chance the phones might be back up tomorrow. If they are, we can call for an ambulance.”
    “Sounds like my only choice.”
    “Yes, it does.” He reached behind the counter and took out a blue notebook and a pen. “No way to get into the