Frostbite

Four

I whirled around, ready to strangle Killian, but Steve put his arm around me, immobilizing me. The song had changed, so I assumed he had decided to ruin the moment because of that. Or he was still abrasively, socially oblivious and I should try to play nice.

"If it's alright with her, go ahead," Steve replied to him with a steely look in his eyes. At least I wasn't the only one pissed about the interruption.

"I'll be back," he directed towards me, leaning down and kissing my cheek, flustering me. Killian smiled at Steve innocently as he turned away and then offered his hand to me, which I begrudgingly took. Killian began to lead, and I focused on trying to keep a good distance between us. For several moments we were both quiet, which I was grateful for.

"I have to fly out tomorrow, but I'd love if you'd have brunch with me tomorrow. I won't be in the area for a while, and it'd be great to catch up," he told me, still smiling.

"I'll have to check and see what time my flight leaves tomorrow," I lied. He nodded silently, his eyes following something behind me rather intently. Before I could turn to see what had caught his attention, the song ended.

"Here's my card with my cell. Just let me know about tomorrow. It's been a pleasure seeing you again Melanie, but I have to be going," he told me smoothly, while handing me a small business card. He quickly pecked my cheek in farewell before I could protest and sauntered away.

I turned and watched him make his way towards the doors, where he stopped and began talking to Vice President Rodriguez. The conversation must have been unpleasant, because they both became tense and seemed to be bickering. Unconsciously, I began to slowly make my way toward them, but before I could get close enough, they left the room.

I hurried towards the door and peeked around the frame to try and spot them. Sure enough, they were going down the hall, still talking animatedly. They turned a corner and out of sight. Letting my suspicion get the best of me, I surveyed around me and made sure no one was watching. I left the ballroom and made my way quietly down the hall.

Once at the end, I peeked around the corner into the dark and spotted a sliver of light coming from one of the rooms. I crept closer and leaned over a small table outside the doorway to try and hear their conversation.

"...their agents aren't even close..."

"...my daughter..."

"...they won't make the connection..."

I groaned internally; I was only getting snippets of what they were saying. Hasty to get closer and hear more, I had forgotten to lift my skirts out of the way. I tripped over the hem, which of course caused me to stumble and catch myself on the stand, effectively making unwanted noise.

"Shhh. Did you hear that?" Killian hissed. I could hear someone's footsteps coming towards the door. Panicking and not wanting to get caught, I scurried into the next room, which was pitch black. I flattened myself against the wall a few feet from the door, not having time to hide.

"There's no one out here," the Vice President snapped.

"I swear I heard something... We'll talk once everything falls into place," Killian told him shortly. The little light there was disappeared, and their footsteps echoed down the hall. I breathed a sigh of relief after everything was silent for a few moments. What the hell was that about? I waited another minute or two before leaving, just to make sure they were gone.

Confident that they were, I hurriedly made my way out into the hall. Before I could make it more than five steps, a hand grabbed onto my elbow, startling me. Acting on instinct, I snatched the person's hand and turned, shoving them into a wall. A burst of freezing fire erupted from my palm, and I pulled my arm back, ready to lash out at my attacker. I stopped when I saw who it was, the flames illuminating his face.