Seventh floor. And then when I got there, they’d done the DC thing of locking the stairwells from the inside so nobody can use them.

Without a single qualm, I kicked the door in. It had the hinges that went all the way up and down the door and would probably have stopped a mere mortal. Inside, there was physical smoke, and a young woman was running for the stairs. I got out of her way quickly and went, of course, towards the problem.

Of course.

It probably would have spoken to my sanity if I was mortal. As it was…it still spoke to my sanity.

Seb ran out of the stairwell behind me. “Okay…”

“Got holy water?” I asked him.

“Not enough for this.”

“Start getting people out.”

The succubus had opened the portal, presumably, but why? Or rather, how had it gone so utterly wrong?

Had we pushed her into something desperate? I hoped not.

I pushed past the reception desk and into the corridors of the office. No, it was in the break room.

And what I found there was the succubus standing in front of her portal. “Do you believe me now?”

And facing her was Charles Sarlac.

“Do you believe me now when I say I will take those you…”

“She can’t. Not without breaking the rules.” I raised my voice.

He turned slightly. I knew what he saw – with no glamor up, I just looked like a tall, blonde teenager.

“You again.”

“You’re scaring your employees into the street,” I told her. “To, what, show off?”

Sarlac was turning pale. “Run,” I urged him.

He didn’t. “No. She wants to control me. If I run I let her.”

I respected his courage but wasn’t so sure about his intelligence.

“Not the smartest,” she said out loud, perhaps sharing my opinion.

The portal was still open, but the edges of it were flickering.

Sarlacc stepped slightly behind me. “What works on them?”

“This.” Seb stepped past me and threw a vial of holy water into her face. It broke on her forehead and she yelped and lifted her hands to her face.

“That.” Sarlac’s voice seemed oddly flat.

I figured he was in shock and would be no use to us. So, now she was thoroughly distracted?

I bullrushed her and tossed her through her own portal. She was still rubbing at her face as she fell.

“Good teamwork,” I told Seb.

“She’ll be back.”

The portal flickered closed. I looked at Sarlac.