Yeah, he should have listened to the feeling that sat in his gut for the last hour—the fact Grey had left the premises without checking out said he’d either been kidnapped or was on the run.

And if it was option two, someone had tipped the man off.

But right now, all he cared about was getting to RJ. Ziggy had mentioned she was meeting them on the rooftop terrace.

“Let’s get these doors open.” He braced himself on one side of the door, with Roy grabbing the other.

They pulled, but it wouldn’t budge.

“We need more oomph,” York said, even as the box began to fill with smoke. His eyes had adjusted to the dimness and now saw Roy. He was holding his arm tight against his body.

“Try the open-door button,” Roy said

“It won’t open mid floor.”

Roy tried it.

Just like that, the door dinged open.

Smoke poured in. York hit the deck, Roy next to him. Fire roared in the choking fog.

“Let’s get to the stairs,” Roy said.

Good idea, but he hadn’t exactly memorized the exit map. But maybe Roy had because he headed out, crouched down, into the blackness.

York grabbed his jacket lapel and tucked his nose in it, fighting the smoke, his eyes burning as he followed Roy.

Just a few feet away, Roy opened a door to the stairwell.

Smoke rose through this also, black and lethal, pouring out of a door below them. But it dissipated in the open door two stories above, out to the roof.

Roy headed up the stairs, York on his heels. They came to the fifth floor, ran out into the landing. The door to the rooftop terrace was open.

The hotel still shook, trembling from the shock of the fire. And in his gut, he knew it was going to collapse. “RJ!”

He didn’t know why he shouted her name. But all he could think was—get off the roof! Get off the roof!

And then Roy tripped on something and went down. His shout suggested he hadn’t broken his fall.

York looked down.

A body. On the floor was a woman. She didn’t look injured but—he pressed a finger to her neck even as Roy found his footing, growling back pain.

“Is she dead?”

“No. But maybe she hit her head with the blast.” Indeed, now he saw blood leaking out from behind her head. She wore a lanyard from the conference, probably one of the doctors. He leaned over her, trying to awaken her, but she stayed still.

The building shuddered again. Aw — “RJ!”

Then he reached out to pick up the woman.

“York!”

RJ fairly burst through the open door, like a woman on fire, her eyes wide. “York!”

He wanted to grab her up, pull her tight, but he had another woman over his shoulder. “RJ!?”