by Olivia Rush
Instead, she shot Callie a skeptical look, as though she now was beginning to suspect that not everything was on the up-and-up. “I’m not even going to ask how a journalist for a gossip magazine got involved in all of this,” said Mrs. Withers.
She took a moment to think about what we’d told her, but I could sense that she’d already made up her mind. “Listen,” she said. “I can appreciate that you all are trying to do some sort of good, but nothing you’ve said is close to the sort of concrete proof we’d need to simply shut down operations for the foreseeable future.”
“What?” exclaimed Callie. “But we saw the tech guy working down the basement! And he ran like the guiltiest person in the world when we spotted him.”
“The two of you, one of whom is about the biggest man I’ve seen in person, accosted one of our techs in the darkness of the basement. I don’t know how many techs you two have met, but they’re not the calmest types—you probably scared him half to death.”
“No,” said Callie, not letting the issue drop. “There was more to it than that. He was running because we caught him in the middle of doing something that he shouldn’t.”
“That’s just your idle speculation,” said Mrs. Withers. “Praetorian has been with us for going on two years now, and if they were running some sort of financial scam we’d likely have figured it out a long time ago.”
“So, then what?” asked Callie. “You’re just going to chance it? You’re just going to risk your firm and anyone who might be in it?”
I glanced over at Callie, noting the angered expression on her beautiful face. The girl had spirit, and even though I could tell her temper wasn’t going to help us make our point, I couldn’t help but admire her passion.
Mrs. Withers, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be the type to appreciate being talked to like this. She leaned forward, her already severe features hardening.
“From my perspective, Ms. Sullivan, I’m not risking anything. From my perspective, I’m getting a late start on my very, very busy day because an overeager reporter and her overgrown fireman pal are wasting my time with some half-cocked theory about my office burning down.”
I snorted. That was the end of that.
“Now,” she went on, “I think I’ve been more than patient hearing you out. I only gave you both the time on account of my respect for the FDNY, but I think you both have more than worn out your welcome.”
She rose from her seat and gestured to the door.
“I trust you can see yourselves out.”
Callie’s mouth flattened into a hard line, and for a moment I wondered if she was going to dig herself into an even deeper hole. But she, thankfully, kept whatever she had on the tip of her tongue to herself.
“Fine,” said Callie.
With that, she turned on her heels and headed out.
“Thanks for your time,” I said.
Mrs. Withers gave me a prim, impatient smile before I left the office.
Callie made a beeline for the lobby, her little legs taking her faster than I imagined possible. Once back, we collected Jason and hurried into one of the elevators.
“Unbelievable!” she shouted, throwing up her hands and shaking her head. “All that hard work, and she thought we were a couple of crackpots.”
I glanced down at Jason, who was busy with some colorful game on his phone. Loud explosion sounds rang out, and I gave Jason a quick tap on the shoulder. He got the hint and turned the sound off.
“It’s a bad situation,” I said. “But you can’t really blame her for not believing us.”
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re on her side,” said Callie, shooting me a narrow-eyed glare.
“I’m not,” I said. “But someone like her has every reason to not want to close that firm up—that’d cost her major money. So, she’s probably going to look at what we told her from whatever perspective makes it so that she can just write off our story without having to think about it. And it’s true we don’t have concrete proof to offer her.”
“Stupid,” said Callie, shaking her head.
“Not to mention, if the place did get torched in the middle of the night, it wouldn’t be any skin off her nose. Everything they have is covered by insurance, and the higher-ups like her would be getting a big payout if anything like that happened. So why risk causing chaos by evacuating the offices?”
Callie said nothing, my words appearing to make some sort of sense.
We made the rest of the trip back to the apartment in silence. Callie began pacing the living room floor as soon as we entered, her chin in her hand.
“All right,” I said after watching her make a few trips back and forth. “Let’s hear what’s on your mind.”
“I’m not ready to let this one go,” she said.
“I had a feeling you would say that,” I said.
“If those idiots at the offices don’t want to do anything about this, then I will.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“And what exactly are you planning?”
Callie stopped in her tracks and turned back to me, her eyes alight with that intensity and passion that I couldn’t help but love in her.
But then I realized what she had in mind.
“We have to go there tonight,” she said. “We have to put a stop to this ourselves.”
I nodded. It was going to be a long night.
31
STONE
“I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
“Well, believe it. It’s the only way we’re going to get this done.”
Callie and I were seated in a rental car a couple of blocks away from the firm. It was just past midnight, and we’d been staking out the place for a good couple of hours, our eyes peeled for a sign of anything suspicious.
“You know,” I said, shifting my body into a more comfortable position. “They might not even come tonight. Or not at all.”
“No,” said Callie. “They’re gonna make their move soon. They know we’re onto them.”
I glanced at Callie out of the corner of my eye, noting her expression of total resolve. Though I had my apprehensions about the plan, I couldn’t help but admire just how damned determined she was.
“How’s Jason?” she asked, her eyes still fixed forward.
“Good, as far as I know,” I said. “His sitter messaged a couple of hours ago, said she was putting him to bed.”
“Sure you didn’t want to bring him along for this one?” asked Callie, a wicked smirk on her face.
I let out a dry laugh.
“Not sure what kind of help he’d be. Maybe send him through the vents to spy or something.”
I was joking, but I was actually very relieved to have Jason safe at home. I hated having to bring him along earlier today and seeing that tech worker at the office had left a nervous feeling in my gut that I just couldn’t shake.
I checked my watch, noting that it was now getting on half after midnight. And still no sign of anything out of the ordinary.
Then, we spotted it.
“Look!” shouted Callie, clapping her hand down onto my shoulder and pointing ahead.
“I see it,” I said.
A block ahead of us was a large white van. The van drove slowly down the block, making its way to the side entrance that led to the building’s garage.
“That’s them,” said Callie. “Let’s move!”
Before I could say anything, Callie burst from the car and took off down the street toward the garage entrance. I followed after her, the two of us making sure to stay in the shadows and not attract attention.
The van disappeared into the black of the garage opening as we approached the building.
“We have to hurry!” said Callie. “We have to get in through that entrance before it shuts!”
I pumped my legs, rushing toward the still-open door. Soon I was close enough to hear the motor working as the door slowly began to shut. Callie and I hurried, barely making it under the opening before the garage door clo
sed with a metallic “thunk.”
Both of us took a few moments to catch our breath. I scanned the mostly vacant garage, searching for the van.
“Where is it?” asked Callie. “Shouldn’t we be able to see them?”
“I bet they have the layout of this place down pat,” I said. “Probably know just where to park, along with the fastest way to get up to the offices. We need to move.”
Callie and I hurried across the parking garage, our feet clopping against the concrete. We soon reached the elevator, the doors opening as soon as I pressed the button. We stepped inside and I put in the number for the floor of the firm.
“Listen,” I said, giving Callie my full attention. “We don’t know how many of them there are or if they’re armed or anything like that. So you and I need to stay close. Don’t do anything stupid, and don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“I know, I know,” she said. “Stick together and call for help, like let the actual police know, if it looks like anything out of the ordinary’s going on.”
“That’s right,” I said. “This isn’t Die Hard and you’re not Bruce Willis. We’re here to check things out from afar and leave the hard stuff to the professionals.”
“Got it,” she said with a nod.
My heart pounded as I stood next to Callie. I’d been in high-tension situations before, but none with criminals and none with someone like Callie at my side—someone I cared about, someone I needed to protect. A sinking feeling formed in my gut as I briefly considered the possibility that something might go wrong, that I might not be able to keep her out of danger.
The elevator soon came to a halt, the doors opening slowly. Before we stepped out, Callie move in front of me, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a hard kiss on my lips.
“For luck,” she said, a small, coy smile on her lips.
Goddamn, even in a situation like this I couldn’t help but be totally turned on by her. Callie was brave, strong, and just a little stubborn. Well, more than a little stubborn. She was like no woman I’d ever known.
“Let’s do this,” I said.
We stepped into the lobby, its bright lights and bustle from earlier in the day replaced by dim, low lighting and nearly total silence aside from the low rumble of the ventilation systems. We moved carefully and slowly, neither of us knowing just what to expect.
“Where to?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper.
“If they’re here, they’re going to be in the server room. If they’re planning what I think they are, they’re going to be accessing the firm’s network to overload the servers. And they’ll probably stick around to make sure that the fire-safety equipment doesn’t activate.”
“Got it,” she said. “Server room it is.”
We made our way through the hallways of the firm, slowly approaching the server room. And the closer we got, the more we heard from the direction of our destination. Noises that sounded like low conversation drifted through the quiet air of the offices.
I held up my hand as soon as I heard the chattering, and Callie came to a stop at my side. I raised my finger to my lips, and she nodded in confirmation.
We continued to move slowly, the lights of the server room glowing brightly at the end of the hall. Callie and I soon reached the corner before the room, the low din of the conversation taking place becoming clearer.
I held up my hand again as we reached the corner, and Callie froze next to me. I glanced over at her and cupped my hand around my ear, indicating that it was time to listen.
“…and this network can get us into the rest of the firms?” came one voice, low and raspy.
“That’s right,” said another voice, this one clearer and more authoritative.
“Shit,” came a third voice, this one high and thin. “I don’t like having to do this in person. Why is it we can’t hack this shit remotely like the rest of the places?”
“You know the fucking answer to that,” said the authoritative voice. “Because if we’re going to access the other firms and set all this shit off at the same time, we need direct access. All the jobs before were just one-offs—this one is three at once.”
“Shit, boss,” said the raspy voice. “I know we’re gonna be making a shitload of money from this, but that doesn’t mean we’re not risking our damn necks.”
“Hey,” said the authoritative voice. “No risk, no reward. And you saw how many goddamn zeros were at the end of this payday. We pull this job off, and none of us are going to be working again for a long time.”
Silence hung in the air for several long moments.
“How’s that coming along?” asked the deep voice, the authoritative one I assumed was in charge.
“Slowly but fucking surely,” said the first voice. “We should be in before too long. Give it another thirty minutes, and we’ll have full access. And once we do, we’ll be able to move the money and light this fucking place up.”
Callie grabbed my shoulder, shaking it hard and getting my attention as though I wasn’t listening to the same conversation she was.
“We have to do something!” she whispered.
I gestured for her to follow me back down the hallway the way we came. Once we were safely back, I spoke.
“I want you to get back to the lobby,” I said, taking my phone out of my pocket and shoving it into her hand. “Take the elevator down and call my station. Ask for Chief Stokes. Tell him you’re calling on behalf of me, and that it’s an emergency. Then give him the address and tell him to call the NYPD while he’s at it.”
Callie nodded.
“And what about you?” she whispered.
“I’m gonna stay here. I know I said we need to stay out of it, but someone’s gotta be here to make sure they don’t get their plan too far along.”
Callie seemed to see the sense in what I was saying, but I could tell she didn’t like the idea of leaving me alone.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “You’ve got the important job now. Call the chief and tell him everything. He’ll know what to do.”
Callie looked as though she wanted to say something, but instead leaned in and gave me another hard kiss.
“Be safe,” she said. “And see you soon.”
Then she turned back down the hall and disappeared behind the corner.
The conversation started up again from the server room, mostly the criminals going over in detail just how they were planning on spending their ill-gotten loot. I crept closer and closer to the corner, taking a quick peek around to see just how many men I was dealing with.
There were three in total, all dressed in casual clothes, with a wrench, some needle-nose pliers, and other tools hanging from their belts. The raspy-voiced man was a short, heavyset guy with shaggy red hair. The man with the high voice was a lanky string-bean of a man with narrow shoulders and long limbs. The crook with the booming, deep voice, the man I assumed to be in charge, was tall and built with shoulder-length blond hair and a stature that suggested military more than IT.
They stood in front of the server banks, two laptops connected to the computer with thick blue cables. The short man paced nervously back and forth, the leader standing still as a statue, his hands on his hips. Looking closely, I spotted the unmistakable shape of a pistol on his belt.
“How’s it coming?” the blond man asked, squatting down and taking a look at the computers.
“We’re getting there,” said the skinny guy. “Shouldn’t be too much longer now.”
Then more silence.
“So,” said the blond. “What’s the status on our guests?”
My heart stopped, and my blood ran cold.
Our guests?
The shorter man chuckled to himself.
“Let’s find out.”
I watched as he slipped his phone out of his pocket and dialed someone up.
“Yo, Willard,” he spoke. “You pick up that cute little redhead?”
Oh fuck.
“Nice, nice,” he said. “Tell her to p
ut a sock in it. Boss will be in soon to check up on her.”
My body tensed as I realized that they could only be talking about Callie.
“We got her,” said the short man. “Caught her trying to make a phone call in the lobby.”
“Very nice,” said the blond man. “I think that means we ought to say ‘hello’ our eavesdropper.”
I didn’t need to hear anything else. I sprang to my feet, ready to make a move. But the cock of a gun just behind my head froze me in my tracks.
“Not another step, big man,” came a different voice behind me.
“You got ’em?” called out the blond.
“Got ’em,” spoke the man behind me.
“Then bring him here.”
I felt the pressure of the gun against the back of my neck.
“I don’t know what you’ve got in mind,” I said, keeping my voice low and calm. “But for your own sake, you’d better put a stop to it now.”
The man jammed the gun against my neck.
“Not another word out of you,” he said. “You’re not exactly in a position to make demands.”
The man led me forward toward the server room where the rest of the group waited. The blond man wore a smug smirk on his face as I approached.
“There’s the big hero fireman we’ve all been waiting for,” he said. “Come, have a seat.”
He pulled a chair away from a nearby desk and plopped it down hard on the ground. The man with the gun moved me toward the chair and gave me one last jab, making it clear I was to sit down right then and there.
Once I got into the seat the blond man didn’t waste any time in tying me up. I struggled against the nylon rope for a moment, but it was clear I was stuck.
The blond slowly strolled in front of me, that smug smirk still on his face.
“Where’s Callie?” I barked. “If you so much as lay a hand on her, I’ll—”
The blond man raised his hand.
“Cut out the alpha-male posturing,” he said. “The girl’s tied up, just like you are. Neither of you are going anywhere, so you might as well sit tight while we do our job.”
I glared at him hard, as though my stare could cut right into him.