Read Hidden Agemda (Kate Diamond Adventure) for Free Online Page B

sleep.
    Kate eyed the animal-skin covered bed, surprised at how comfortable it looked. She walked over and pressed on it expecting it to be as hard and cold as a block of ice. Instead, the bed yielded to the pressure of her hand. It was warm. Inspecting it closer, she saw there was a thick down mattress on top of the block of ice that worked as the box spring. The mattress was covered with a heated sleeping bag, which had the animal skins thrown on top.  
    Maybe sleeping here wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. But not right now—she had to check out the room first.  
    Looking around, she realized it was quite cozy. Not big, but big enough to house a bed, nightstand, table and chair—made out of ice, of course. The ceiling was domed giving it a comfortable, cave-like feeling. One wall had a fireplace carved into the snow with red lights at the base to imitate fire.  
    Kate unzipped her parka and pressed a button on the clasp of the string of white Akoya pearls that hung on her neck. The button was a homing beacon that would transmit the coordinates of her exact location to the ship, where they would overlay the coordinates onto the satellite photo of the ice hotel in order to determine where, exactly, her room was. This would help them come up with a getaway plan and make sure the getaway vehicle would be right where she needed it.
    Next, she scanned the entire surface of the room for bugs, cameras—anything they might be using to spy on her or see what was going on in the room. She found nothing.
    Turning her attention to her luggage, she unzipped her one suitcase, flipped the lid open and bent down eye level with the surface of the case. The monofilament fishing line she’d laid across had been disturbed, indicating that someone had opened the case. But she’d expected that and there was nothing inside that would give away her charade … not at first glance anyway.
    Kate pulled a mirror out of the suitcase and studied her reflection, congratulating herself on her disguise. The black wig looked natural, as well it should since it was the best money could buy, made from real human hair. The blue eye shadow, heavily applied just the way the reclusive Chyna Hunt wore it, offset the contacts, which were dark as coal—both to match the color of Chyna’s eyes and also to enable Gideon to fit them with a special coating that allowed Kate better night vision.  
    Putting down the mirror, Kate fought off a tremor of nervousness. Crowder had thought she looked familiar. She didn’t think he’d figure out that she was the blonde at the hotel, but she’d be smart not to interact with him too much. She wondered if any of the other guests knew Chyna. She certainly hoped not, they’d be sure to see through her disguise. But Gideon’s research had indicated that none did and she trusted him implicitly.
    Kate glanced again at the bed, her eyelids growing heavy. She wasn’t just acting when she’d told Crowder she’d had a tiring day. The travel itinerary to get to the ice hotel was exhausting. First, she flew in a private jet to a remote airport near Antarctica where she was ushered into a helicopter that flew her to a boat in the South Atlantic Ocean that sailed her to the edge of a glacier where she hopped on a shuttle boat that ferried her to the glacier where she met the snow bus that took her to the ice hotel. Crowder didn’t provide directions to the hotel itself—probably to keep the exact location secret—so guests were told to meet the helicopter at specific times. The private jet for the first leg of the trip had been supplied by Max to help keep up the charade as the wealthy heiress.
    Kate stripped off her parka, removed the pearl necklace and matching earrings, and then wiggled into the sleeping bag, snuggling into the down mattress. She set her watch for four thirty—that would give her a couple of hours of much needed sleep before her next performance as Chyna Hunt.
    The warmth enveloping her body had a