Amicia woke up feeling cold and clammy. The sheets around her were drenched in sweat. She almost regretted telling the staff she wouldn’t need any extra service. It was for the best though. She couldn’t risk someone rummaging through her things. Her close call with Landon already made her feel like an idiot.

She got up to do her morning routine. A glance at her phone told her it was 5:54 AM. She changed into her workout gear. Her daily 30 minute session of exercise began with a light stretch, then into high intensity interval training, and ended with her out of breath, gasping for air.

She laid on the floor of this nice hotel for a little while before finally going to shower. The exercises didn’t give her the clearly visible muscles of an athlete, but her endurance had saved her life once or twice.

After showering, she changed into her work outfit. She didn’t know Araña would leave her a fake badge, but if she was gonna pretend to be an FBI agent she needed to dress the part. She didn’t have a coat so a button down white shirt and black slacks would have to do. She strapped her holster on her hip and placed the gun in it. She was ready for work.

Before Amicia left however, she searched the entire room. There didn’t seem to be any good hiding places for her discrete items. She’d have to hide it in plain sight then. She hung a few of her clothes in the closet. She took a jacket with a hidden seam in it’s interior. She placed the envelope Araña had given to her along with a few of her false I.Ds. She hoped no one would find the files. They were copies of the original given to her by that nurse in Serenity. Still they could still be damaging in the wrong hands. Especially the pages on the greater powers. Finally, she stepped out of her room and rode the elevator down to the first floor.

She made her way into the lobby of the hotel. There was a woman there this time. The man that checked her in yesterday was nowhere to be seen. She headed towards her direction. The person manning the desk looked up at her approach.

“Good morning miss. Are you looking for the dining room? We’ve already begun serving breakfast. A great selection of waffles, fruits, and other assorted items are available. It’s just down that hallway and to the left.”

Amicia thanked her for the direction. She went to the dining room and ate a light breakfast. As she ate, she hatched a little plot in her head. She unbuttoned the top 3 buttons of her shirt.Then she grabbed two coffee mugs and filled them. She walked back to the woman at the front desk with both in hand. With a smile, Amicia presented one of them to her. The receptionist looked surprised at the gesture but still took it.

“I didn’t know if you liked cream or sugar, but I certainly do.” Amicia said.

“You really didn’t need to but thank you. It’s a thoughtful gesture.” the woman said. Amicia looked towards her name tag. Charlotte, it said. Charlotte seemed to be in her 20s. She had a shy demure air now that Amicia was approaching her for something that wasn’t directions.

“Charlotte right? I knew a Charlotte in high school. She broke a lot of hearts. Mine included. I’m sure you’ve broken your fair share too, no?” Amicia teased.

The girl looked slightly away from Amicia. With a slight smile she said “ Maybe one or two.”

Amicia laughed a light laugh. She leaned slightly on the desk and took a sip of her coffee. It was like many she had over her travels. Cheap and strong.

“Are you from around here Charlotte?” Amicia asked.

“Been here most of my life, but I’m just back for the summer. A college job close to home so the folks could fuss over me. Make sure the city life wasn’t turning me snooty.” Charlotte answered.

“Snooty huh? Well you can certainly find people like that in the city. I’ve been a city girl most of my life, but I’ve always considered myself quite friendly.” Amicia said. She moved closer to Charlotte then. She placed her elbows on the woman’s desk. She rested her head in one hand. She placed her arm across her body and hefted her chest slightly, making sure Charlotte could sneak a peek down her shirt. She turned her smile to an 11 and asked Charlotte.

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“What about you Charlotte? Do you consider yourself, friendly?”

Amicia caught Charlotte glancing down and knew she had caught her. Charlotte didn’t know it, but Amicia had caught her staring at Amicia’s backside earlier when she went for breakfast. It was hard to ogle a woman without her knowing, especially in a hotel lobby full of shiny reflective furniture. When she saw Charlotte’s rainbow sock, it just confirmed her suspicions.

Charlotte thought of something to say. Her throat went a little dry. She felt her heart beating just a tad quicker. Something about the woman leaning on her desk felt magnetic. She felt a level of attraction she hadn’t felt from anyone she’d met before. Even when she went to the city for college, there hadn’t been anything like this. It was just the occasional friendly flirting.

“I think I could be friendly. I think I could be a lot friendlier when I’m not at work.”

Amicia turned down her smile to an amused smirk, but she backed away from the desk. She took another sip of her coffee, letting the caffein run through her nerves. It was time to get down to what she really wanted. Time to see just how friendly Charlotte was feeling.

“Ah work. The bane of our existences. I guess you could say I’m on the clock right now too.” Amicia said. She placed the badge on desk. Charlotte looked down to see the letters FBI above a shiny golden emblem. She looked up to Amicia in confusion.

“Is-Is that real?” Charlotte asked.

“You betcha” Amicia lied smoothly. “Agent Amanda Hoschner. I need to ask you a few questions Charlotte.”

“Questions? I’m, I’m not in trouble, am i?”

“Oh don’t worry. It’s just a few questions. I don’t bite.” Amicia said out loud. She leaned back in, getting close to Charlotte’s ear. She whispered “Not unless someone asks me to and only if they’re as cute as you are Char.

Charlotte sat still in her chair. She felt Amicia’s whispered words blow gently in her ear. She was just so close right now. She could feel her face burning and she knew the tips of her ears were red. Amicia stood back up abruptly. She went on with her line of questioning. It was Amicia’s twisted game of push and pull.

“You’ve been working here for the summer right? Ever get a guest that checked in and never checked out?” Amicia asked.

“Y-yes. But it’s only been this year that we’ve had more people like that. Recently some people will check in, stay for a few days, and then just up and disappear. I’ve worked summers here the last 3 years and never really saw it before now.” Charlotte said. She tried to calm down and don her professional persona. There was still a new nervous energy to her body language however.

“At first, we thought people were just bailing so they wouldn’t have to pay up. But then the staff checked their rooms and their stuff was still in there. Mr. Stephens told us they were probably off buying drugs or something. He said to just throw out their stuff and to not say anything to the police. He didn’t want bad press for the hotel.”

“Mr Stephens? What does he do here?”

“Mister Mortimer Stephens. He does everything really. He’s the general manager, but he runs all over the place doing stuff. Sometimes he’ll clean or do inventory or check people in.” Charlotte answered. Mortimer. That was the man who checked her in yesterday. Someone who was blatantly ignoring people that had disappeared from his hotel. Why? Something that she’d need to ask him personally.

“I see. I’ll be speaking to Mr Stephens later. Right now, I need you to do something for me Charlotte. I need a list of everyone who left suddenly without checking out. Can you do that for me Charlotte?” Amicia asked.

“Well. Uhm, I think maybe I need to ask Mr Stephens and-.”

“I’m sure Mr Stephens would be happy to be helping the Bureau. If you’re worried though, I’ll keep your name out of it.” Amicia said. Charlotte was still hesitant however. She was looking left and right, searching for a sign that would tell her what to do. That was when Amicia leaned back in again. Once more she whispered softly into Charlotte’s ear. Her voice was sickly sweet and threatening all at once.

“I’m sure Mr. Stephens has nothing to hide. What about you Charlotte? Are you hiding something from me? Maybe I should cuff you until you’re feeling more friendly. Do you think you’d look good in cuffs Char? I think you'd look fantastic.”

Amicia left the hotel 10 minutes later with a stack of papers in hand. As she walked out, she made sure to turn back and blow Charlotte a kiss. The woman at the desk stared at her as Amicia walked out, never realizing Amicia didn’t carry handcuffs with her.