Chapter 28 : THE PERFECT GROUNDS
The Mountain Vista Resort had been dead for five years.
I parked at the entrance and studied the remains of what had once been a luxury destination. Main lodge—three stories of timber and glass, now weathered and dark. Auxiliary buildings scattered across the property—spa facilities, guest cabins, a conference center that had hosted corporate retreats when corporations still cared about Montana mountain air.
The access road wound through forest for twelve miles before reaching the resort. Single point of entry. Natural barriers on three sides. The kind of isolation that made rescue difficult and disappearance easy.
Perfect.
Ruth walked beside me as we approached the main lodge. I'd brought her for operational assessment—she had a practical eye for defensive positions and tactical vulnerabilities that complemented my strategic planning.
"Economic downturn closed it?" she asked.
"2001. Owner couldn't make payments after tourism dropped. Bank foreclosed, couldn't find a buyer. It's been sitting empty ever since." I pushed open the main doors—lock rusted, barely functional. "Occasional travelers stop thinking it's operational. Local police have responded to missing person reports three times in the past two years."
"Travelers who never left."
"Probably. The Djinn don't leave bodies if they're feeding properly." I stepped into the lobby. "Their dream-feeding absorbs victims completely. No evidence. No investigation trail."
[LOCATION ASSESSMENT: MOUNTAIN VISTA RESORT] [ISOLATION: EXCELLENT] [ACCESS CONTROL: SINGLE ROAD — OPTIMAL] [VICTIM SUPPLY: MODERATE — TRAVELING TOURISTS, LOST HIKERS] [DJINN COMPATIBILITY: 94%]
The interior was remarkably preserved. Dust covered everything, but the structure remained sound. Furniture still in place. Kitchen equipment rusting but intact. The hot springs facility—the resort's main attraction—showed signs of continued geological activity.
"The springs still work?" Ruth moved toward the spa wing.
"Geothermal. Doesn't care about bankruptcy." I followed her through corridors that smelled of mold and abandonment. "The heat source is natural. The pools are probably still functional."
They were.
The main hot spring pool occupied a glass-enclosed chamber with mountain views that would have been stunning if the windows weren't covered in grime. Steam rose from water that maintained temperature regardless of human presence.
I stripped off my jacket and tested the water. Warm. Clean enough. The minerals that gave hot springs their therapeutic reputation created a slight sulfur smell that didn't bother my enhanced senses.
Ruth watched from the doorway. "Boss taking a break?"
"Boss is testing facilities." I settled into the water, letting heat soak into muscles I hadn't realized were tense. "If we're offering this to the Djinn, we need to know what condition it's in."
"Thorough."
"Practical."
I stayed in the water for twenty minutes. First genuine relaxation in months—since before the Catherine negotiations, maybe. Since before the Gordon redirect. The warmth worked through layers of accumulated stress that I'd been ignoring because there was always something more urgent.
Ruth almost smiled. I could see it in the corner of her mouth, the slight softening of her perpetually practical expression.
"Don't get used to it," I said, climbing out. "We have work to do."
The property assessment took the rest of the afternoon.
I mapped feeding zones—areas where victims could be drawn without raising immediate alarm. The main lodge offered privacy for extended dream-feeding. The cabins provided individual hunting spaces. The conference center could house multiple Djinn operating simultaneously without interference.
Ruth contributed security analysis. "Perimeter is weak. Anyone with determination could approach from the forest."
"Djinn don't need physical security. Their territory markers handle intruders."
"Human intruders. What about supernatural?"
"That's what the coalition provides. Early warning if hunters or hostile monsters approach." I added her notes to the proposal document. "Their psychic defenses handle the rest."
By sunset, I had everything I needed.
[PROPOSAL DRAFT: COMPLETE] [KEY ELEMENTS: PROPERTY OWNERSHIP, EXCLUSIVE FEEDING RIGHTS, HUNTER EARLY WARNING, LEGAL COVER] [ACQUISITION COST: ESTIMATED $180,000] [PROBABILITY OF ACCEPTANCE: 78%]
"One more thing," Ruth said as we walked back to the car. "Legal ownership. You did it with the mines—bought the claims through that shell company. Same approach here?"
I'd been thinking the same thing. "Sebastian Morrow acquires another property. Future renovation project. Creates paper trail that explains any activity at the site."
"And if authorities investigate?"
"They find a businessman with eclectic real estate interests. Nothing supernatural. Nothing suspicious." I started the car. "The best cover is mundane truth. I own the property. What I do with it is my business."
The acquisition took three days.
Sebastian Morrow's financial history was solid enough to support the purchase—the bank accounts I'd established, the mining claims I'd already acquired, the pattern of legitimate transactions that made new purchases unremarkable.
The resort's asking price had dropped repeatedly over five years of failed sales. I offered cash at 60% of current listing. The bank accepted within forty-eight hours.
[PROPERTY ACQUIRED: MOUNTAIN VISTA RESORT] [PURCHASE PRICE: $168,000] [LEGAL STATUS: CLEAR TITLE — MORROW HOLDINGS LLC] [COALITION ASSETS: UPDATED]
Standing on the resort's main deck, looking out at mountains that now belonged to the coalition, I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction.
Four months ago, I'd been hunting a Wendigo with road flares and desperation. Now I owned property across two states, commanded a coalition of twenty-two monsters, and was negotiating alliances with ancient beings.
The proposal sat in my pocket—detailed maps, feeding schedules, protection protocols, everything Malik had demanded. Specifics, not hypotheticals.
Time to close the deal.
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