Page 91 of Once a Killer

“Good. Let’s get dressed and get moving.”

Jameson studied her for a long moment, then pulled her close. “I have to do this. Once more.” He kissed her like it was the last time he’d taste her, and she kissed him back just as passionately. When she eased away, they were both breathing heavily. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Bree brushed her fingers over his cheek. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” she said, her voice husky.

He swallowed. “I will, too.”

She hurried into her room and partially closed the door, then pulled out a pair of black tactical pants, a black long-sleeved tee shirt and a lightweight black jacket. She stuffed flex cuffs into her jacket pocket and fastened her gun to her hip, hiding it beneath the jacket. Then she strapped a knife to her calf.

Checking herself in the mirror, she nodded. In a dark lab, with a ski mask on, she’d be all but invisible.

When she stepped out of her room, she saw Jameson on his knees in his closet. Finally, with a grunt of triumph, he pulled a handful of black hats out of a storage box.

When he stood up and turned around, he spotted her standing in the hall. His gaze traveled from her head down to her black shoes, trailing fire over her skin as he studied her. “Wow,” he finally said. “You look very… hot.”

Her lips twitching, she said, “Not exactly what I was going for, but thank you.”

His own clothes were also black and fit him perfectly. They outlined the muscles in his chest, arms and legs. Dangerous.

She liked this Jameson a lot. Her face flushed. “You look hot, as well, Jameson. And very fit. Very scary.”

“If nothing else, we’ll blind our perp with our fitness,” he said. He held up two black hats. “Found a couple of old ski hats. Our eyes will still show, but we can’t hide those.”

“We can keep them almost closed if someone comes into the lab.”

“If?” he said, raising one eyebrow.

“When,” she conceded. There was no way the thief would be able to resist coming to the lab tonight.

Jameson picked up a small duffel bag, and they moved silently down the stairs and into the garage. They were both quiet as Bree drove to the lab. She parked on the street, a block away from the lab, so their perp wouldn’t see a strange car in the parking lot.

Her eyes swiveled left, right, toward the building, but she saw nothing out of order. No signs of anyone watching. No unfamiliar scents in the air, no unusual noises.

When they reached the building, Jameson unlocked the door, and they stepped into the dark lobby. She held up her hand for silence, and they froze, listening. When they’d heard nothing for at least five minutes, she took Jameson’s hand and led him to the stairwell.

The emergency lights glowed dimly as they ascended to the third floor. When they reached the fire door, Bree eased it open slowly and carefully. Again, silence.

Jameson unlocked the lab door with a tiny click, then opened it and they both stepped inside. He closed the door carefully, and they both stood frozen, listening to the sounds of the room.

Nothing moved. No sounds. No unusual smells. After five minutes, she touched his hand. Nodded. They both moved toward the office, and as they’d agreed in the car, he opened the safe to make sure the hard drive was the same one he’d put in earlier. Made sure it was in the same position.

He nodded at her, then swung the door closed. Spun the lock, then took her hand and drew her out of the office and into the lab. “I’m going to replace the cameras that are blacked out, and make sure the audio works,” he breathed. “I want to make sure we have a record of what happens in this room.”

“Good idea,” she whispered. She watched as he switched out the three cameras in his office, then tested the audio. Satisfied, they turned out the lights and headed back into the lab.

On the way over, they’d discussed where they’d wait in the dark lab. Jameson had chosen to sit beneath Stu’s desk, as it was the closest one to the door. Bree had chosen Joe’s desk as her hiding place, putting her directly across from Jameson. They’d have their thief trapped between the two of them.

Bree motioned Jameson into his hiding place, then she searched the lab carefully. Nothing had changed since they’d left this afternoon. Apparently, their thief was confident in his or her ability to get into the safe, grab the hard drive and get out.

Twilight crept across the sky, painting the windows with the pinks and oranges of sunset as the lab darkened. By the time the sunset had faded and the sky turned first navy blue then black, the lab was completely dark. Jameson was just a darker black beneath the desk, hidden.

The sounds from outside became more and more faint, as people returned home for the night and traffic decreased on the streets around the building. After what felt like a very long time, Bree pushed up her sleeve to glance at her watch. Almost eleven p.m. She hoped they wouldn’t have to wait until one or two a.m. for the thief to show up, but she was ready to sit here that long, if necessary.

She shifted every few minutes, her clothes a barely-there rustle against the linoleum floor. Finally, a little after midnight, she heard the faint click of the fire door to the stairs open. Another click as it closed. She glanced over to where Jameson hid and his eyes met hers in the darkness. He gave her a tiny nod -- he’d heard the click, as well.

A few minutes later, Bree heard the snap of the lab lock disengaging. She buried her face between her knees to hide the gleam of her eyes. But she saw the triangle of light on the floor getting bigger and bigger.

Finally the door stopped moving and a figure stepped inside. She saw black pants and black boots but didn’t dare raise her eyes to see the intruder’s face. The dark outline eased the door closed with another tiny click, then moved directly to Jameson’s office. She heard a tiny thump as the thief set something down on Jameson’s desk, then the low whirr of a drill being used to break into the safe.

Finally she heard the squeak of the safe door opening, and Jameson began to ease out from beneath Stu’s desk. She scooted out as well and watched as the figure in black removed Jameson’s hard drive from the safe and replaced it with a similar-looking one.

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