"Damn you, Thomas," Jack muttered. He flipped open his cell phone and tried to call him, but no one answered.

Knowing it was his only shot in a building this huge, he went to the elevators. He leaned against the wall across from the bank of doors and watched, anxiety for Mira and anger gnawing a hole in his stomach.

Nothing.

Then finally the display showed movement for two of the elevators. One went to the twenty-second floor, the other to the thirty-eighth. It was a toss-up. Impatiently, he pressed the Down button to call a car and hit the twenty-second floor.

The muzak in the elevator was an orchestral version of the song "Witchy Woman." Right now having to listen to piped-in music, especially some warlock's idea of a cutsie inside joke, made Jack want to hit something. Jack planned to do just that.

Finally, the doors opened on the twenty-second floor, revealing Thomas and a handful of Coven witches. The unconscious bodies of several warlocks lay collapsed on the floor at their feet. The Coven witches had obviously taken a beating in the lobby. Jack was encouraged to see the Coven had won this little skirmish, at least.

That knowledge did little to ease his temper.

Thomas turned to see him standing just outside the elevator. "Jack," he said in surprise.

Jack rushed him, grabbing him by his shirt front and slamming him back against the receptionist's desk. "Where is Mira?" he snarled into his face.

Several Coven witches grabbed Jack and pulled him off Thomas. He fought them, but they held him fast by his upper arms, allowing their boss to straighten. "There are a number of Coven witches in the building now. She's with our strongest.”

"Have you seen the carnage in the lobby, Monahan?" He yelled it.

"We're all on the same side here, Jack. Calm down.”

His gut said Mira was in danger. "Crane has her.”

"How do you know that?”

"I can feel it," he growled. He wanted to punch Thomas bloody for leaving him behind. Jack shrugged off the men holding him. "Bang-up job you've done here, Thomas," he muttered and sought one of the still barely conscious warlocks sprawled on the floor.

No time to waste on small talk, he showed the earth warlock a ball of very hot fire. The man's groggy eyes widened. "Where would they do the ritual?”

The warlock said nothing. His lips moved mutely. The man was obviously too drained to call any power in his own defense. All the better.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Don't think I won't burn you.”

Something in Jack's expression made the warlock stammer out, "F-fortieth floor. Conference floor.”

Jack let the man slump back to the floor, extinguished the fire, and turned back to the elevator. Thomas and the other Coven witches followed him.