Chapter Sixteen
SYLVIEI stand outside the large office doors, waiting for a response. They are yet another set of dark, looming double doors with the same hand-carved square inlays as those at the front of Holt’s giant house. It’s as if he has designed his entire residence to be as intimidating as possible, and it works. I shift from foot to foot, and Holt’s answer is so long in coming that I almost change my mind. In fact, I am thinking of running back to the “guest cottage,” when a deep voice on the other side says, “Come in.”
I tighten the sash around my kimono robe and take a deep breath before doing just that. Holt is standing behind his desk. I wonder if he was in this position before I knocked, or if he rose to his feet for the sole purpose of confronting me.
Either way, my heart
