It was well into the night, and the Winterside Club had gone quiet—uncomfortably quiet.
Outside the warm lights of the lodge windows, there was nothing but the pale shine of the moon, endless stretches of snow, and the sound of boots crunching as security guards walked around with flashlights slicing through the dark.
Since early afternoon, everyone had been looking for the Armenian politician after his security team reported that he and his escort girlfriend had gone missing from his room. The hotel management didn't want the situation to blow up into a scandal, so they'd been pushing the search nonstop, restless and on edge.
One of the guards pressed his transceiver close.
His breath fogged the frozen air.
"Unfortunately… everything's clear on this end."
He swung his beam across the barren tree line.
"I don't think we're finding the politician or his model girlfriend anytime soon."
Snow, trees, and more snow. That was all he saw.
