“Something to drink would be lovely.”
“Come. Follow me.” He leads us into the living room, then walks over to the beverage cart in the corner that hosts an array of decanters. “Scotch?” His brow lifts in challenge. I rise to the occasion.
“That will be perfect.”
His smile spreads. It was a test, and he likes the way I responded. The EMP can’t go off soon enough.
Felix makes work of pouring us both a finger’s worth, then we are sitting across from each other. Taking a sip, I allow the liquid to calm my nerves. Then I make a grand show of opening my bag and pulling out the file he gave me. As I’m about to open my mouth, a man I have never seen before walks into the room.
“Mr. Bernard, I need to speak with you for a moment,” the man says.
“I’ll be right back,” Felix says as he stands and follows the man out of the room.
I give them ten seconds before I’m standing as well and creeping through the door, heart racing. The security system is off, but that just makes me more nervous. I need to be more careful.
“Jax,” I whisper. “Are you there? Can you hear me?”
“I’m here,” he responds, and I’m thankful because I don’t have much time. I need to find his home office before Felix notices I’ve walked off.
“Where do I go?”
“According to the blueprints of the building, you need to go past the kitchen.”
I do as he says, quickly checking the kitchen. Once I see that the coast is clear, I make my way down the hall, all the while listening for Felix. He’s likely still trying to figure out the glitch.
Making my way down the dark hallway, I feel my heart racing. My fingers are sticky with sweat. I check each room I pass until I find what I’m looking for. It’s the office.
“Found it.”
“Okay, look for the computer.”
I can’t believe I’m doing this. My fists are gripped tightly as I look around the room. It’s dark and empty. I have to find it, but when I don’t, I let out a groan.
“Keep looking,” Jaxson says through the earpiece. “We have sixty seconds before the cameras are live again, and in that time you have to disconnect the alarm.”
I walk past the desk, and that’s when I see it.
“Found the computer, but I can’t do this.” I groan.
“Well, now that you’re there, you don’t have a choice. We have thirty seconds. I’ll talk you through it.”
Jaxson’s voice is calm and playful. I know he’s trying to keep me calm, but it doesn’t help. Reaching out with trembling hands, I look at the monitor.
“This is super simple, Skye. You just need to download the data, and then bring the system down.”
“Wow. Seriously. And how am I going to do that?”
You are way over your pay grade here. This is James Bond shit. If I make it out of here unscathed, it will be a modern miracle.
“Well, that’s the easy part.” His voice is playful, and I swear if Jaxson Price was here right now, he would be beaming at me with a shit-eating grin, and I . . . well, I would smack it off his face.
“Really? You don’t say. You’re not the one standing in his office—”
“Just insert the zip drive I gave you.”
“Oh, that’s it?” I say sarcastically.
“Yep.” Easy for him to tell me what to do while safely far away. I’m the one standing in front of the computer with the zip drive clutched in my hand, waiting for someone to catch me.
I have never done something like this before, but I’ve also never been this desperate. It’s worth the risk. I take a deep breath before inserting the flash drive into the computer. Nothing happens at first, and I feel it mocking me with the silence.
I want to scream at Jax and ask him what’s happening. But I don’t. I can’t risk being heard. I’ve already spoken too much. As if he can hear me, he speaks. “Files are downloaded. It’s uploading the virus. The whole system will be down in less than ten seconds.”
“And the cameras?” My heart batters against my breastbone, threatening to explode.
“You have fifteen seconds to get out of that room.”
Great. Just great. Fifteen seconds. By the time I remember how to get back to where I came from, fifteen seconds will have already passed.
Stop. Put your big girl panties on and get the fuck out of here. I drop the drive back in my pocket and turn around.
Peeking my head out the door, I look left and then right. Thankfully, the hall is clear.
But who knows for how long?
Slowly, I make my way back into the long corridor that brought me here and try to retrace my steps to the living room.
My heart thunders in my chest.
It’s only a few more feet until I’m free.
You can do this.
One foot in front of the other.
“Look what we have here,” I hear from behind me. There’s no need to turn around, I know Felix has caught me.
I won’t let him scare me, though. Straightening my spine, I turn around, head held high.
He’s too close, and when he steps in, I try to sidestep, but it’s the wrong move because now I’m backed against a wall. Cornered.
“I’ll have fun breaking Tobias’s little toy.”
50
Tobias
Pacing back and forth. This is what hell feels like. Knowing the woman you love is in a building with a monster, and there is nothing you can do about it. I signal for the team to breach the apartment. It takes one second for the door to open, and then we are off.
“Go!” I whisper-shout, and then I run in with my gun drawn.
I check the hallway before I signal my team to go in after her. From across the room, I see that Felix has Skye pushed against the wall. He doesn’t hear us or see us. We have the element of surprise working in our favor.
Skye’s eyes catch mine, but Felix is still ignorant of our presence.
“I’ll have fun breaking Tobias’s little toy.”
“I’m not his toy.” Skye takes a step forward but not before she winks at me. Her hands lift to his shoulders seductively. I want to shoot him, but by the weapon in Felix’s hand and his close proximity to Skye, it’s not a good idea. “I’m no one’s toy.”
Felix’s weapon isn’t lifted, and despite my reservations, Skye moves into action, lifting her knee.
She shouts back something I can’t make out. I don’t wait for an invitation before I storm the room, throwing my body into Felix’s. The gun drops from his hand, and my fists lift to connect with his face.
He swings back.
Sidestepping, I block his punch, lunge forward, and throw us both to the ground.
The silver metal of his gun gleams, but he’s not fast enough. I grab it first.
Lift and point.
Time to have fun. Now that Skye is back at my compound and tucked away in my bed, I’m ready to see what Felix has to say. She wasn’t happy that I made her leave, but she doesn’t need eyes on this part of the plan.
All the guys are already there, probably chipping away at what little soul he has left. That is, if he even had one to begin with. Knowing he’s responsible for making Skye and me orphans, I doubt he does, but still.