She didn’t quite glare at Handshake’s back as she followed him, but the look she gave him was certainly very stern.

They exited into the corridor to find a group of three men walking by in clothes that didn’t suit the hotel. The place was a nice, clean establishment, not one that fit the raggedy, either too-tight or too-loose clothes of the three men.

Emily let her arms drop and wiggled her fingers. Each hand was promptly grabbed by a summon.

“Are those the ones we’re meeting?” Teddy asked. Her voice was just low enough that the three didn’t seem to notice. They moved over to a door farther down, then slid into a well-lit room, leaving the door open behind them.

“I think so,” Emily said.

Handshake paused before the entrance, twisted his jaw left and right, shrugged a few times, then refixed his smile in place. “Are you ready, girls?” he asked.

“You didn’t say there would be three of them,” Athena said.

“I expect that only one of them has powers. Cement is the only remaining member of his group that has powers. At least, as far as I know. And we’re a floor or two above any cement. We should be rather safe.”

“Don’t know if I believe you, hand guy,” Teddy said.

Handshake turned his smile to her, but instead of saying anything, he pushed into the conference room.

Emily let go of her summons’ hands. Teddy moved in first, then Athena ran her hand through her hair and followed with her jaw set.

Being the last one in, Emily pulled the door shut behind her.

The trio of men, though really none of them seemed to be any older than their midtwenties, were all gathered at one end of the conference table. One of them was on the ground, toying with some wires connected to a laptop sitting atop the table. Another had his feet on the surface and was cleaning out his nails with the tip of a knife, and the last was sitting back, head nodding to the beat of a bassy song that was pouring out of his headphones. He had a mohawk, but it was pressed down in the middle where the headset cut across his head.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Handshake said as he pulled out the seat opposite the three men. “I assume you’re the representatives Cement chose to send?”

The one with his legs on the table snorted. “Yeah. That’s us,” he said.

The contrast between the prim and proper Handshake and the three of them couldn’t have been clearer.

Emily stood toward the back of the room, nearly out of sight of the others. Teddy took a spot between her and Handshake, and Athena pulled out a chair, then placed her own feet on the table. Though that meant she was almost falling out of her chair just to reach.