Edmund Hensley stopped halfway down the stairs beneath the abandoned casino and waited for Viktor Thorne to notice.
The younger man continued to the landing before turning back.
"A moment," Edmund wheezed. "Unless you intend to carry me to this meeting of yours."
Viktor watched him clutch the railing, then came back up to offer his arm.
"I don't mind. Helping the elderly and frail is the duty of all good citizens."
Edmund accepted the help with an irritated grunt. He wondered whether his prospective benefactor understood the condition she had agreed to treat.
"Your employer could afford a more suitable reception room."
"She likes this one."
"And an elevator?"
Viktor smiled without answering.
By the bottom of the stairs, Edmund's resentment had begun to yield to unease. The last electric light hung far above them. Ahead, a faint glow illuminated a corridor of dark polished rock, carrying on well beyond where the casino's foundations ought to end.
