Page 26 of No Reason to Trust

As they got into the elevator and the doors slid closed, Jake grinned down at her. “And remember to act like second honeymooners on our way out of the lobby. We want anyone watching us to buy into our cover.”

“I can act as well as you can,” Livvy retorted. “You concentrate on looking like an adoring husband.”

“And you’ll be my devoted wife, right?”

Livvy snorted. “In your dreams, Dunbar.”

Jake slapped his hand over his chest. “I dream about you every night, Williams,” he said, trying to look all googly-eyed.

Livvy burst into laughter. “You look like a… a myopic monkey,” she said.

Jake swiveled to face her. “Nothing myopic about my vision when I look at you, Livvy. I’m completely smitten,” he said as the doors slid open.

He tucked his arm around her waist and led her to the door, grinning to himself at the pole-axed look on her face. She didn’t recover her composure until they were on the street.

“Smooth move in there, Dunbar,” she said, taking a step away from him.

“I thought so,” Jake said, pleased with himself. Livvy was way too self-possessed. He hadn’t seen her shaken very often. “Anyone looking at us saw a pair of honeymooners. That’s all they’ll remember.”

“I hope to God you’re right,” she muttered.

They chose a street that allowed them to watch the front door of the building they’d be slipping into. In the three-block walk, Jake didn’t see anyone exit the building. Opening the door and walking inside would be risky -- they had no way of knowing who might be watching.

Leaning close to Livvy, he said, “I’m gonna try and make it look like I’m using a key. You act like what we’re doing is perfectly normal. Don’t look over your shoulder. Don’t shuffle your feet or touch your hair. Your attitude should be, ‘we have every right to go into this building. We have business here.’ Okay?”

“Yeah, I can handle that,” she said. “You’re unlocking the door. We have business inside.”

“Right.” He nodded toward the building. “You been watching?”

“Yeah,” she said. “No one in or out.”

“It’ll take us seven, eight minutes to get there. We want to walk at a normal speed. Not hurrying, not hesitant. If we don’t see anyone else exit the building, we’re probably good.”

As he spoke, the door opened and a man stepped onto the sidewalk. Both of them slowed, watching the man carefully.

He was dressed in a uniform of some sort. Baggy pants. An open jacket. When the wind whipped his jacket open, they could see that he wore a jump suit. A dark color.

Jake frowned. “Maintenance man? That’s my guess,” he whispered to Livvy.

“Yeah,” she said after a moment. “I agree. Look at his shoes. Heavy-duty boots, probably with steel toes, like someone on his feet all day, carrying heavy stuff, would wear.”

Their steps slowed as they watched the maintenance guy lock the door, then yank on the handle to make sure it was secured. Then he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. If they’d been a couple minutes earlier, they’d be breaking into the building while the maintenance guy was heading toward the door.

“You think he was the last one in the building?” Jake asked.

“We’ll find out, won’t we?” she said, blowing out a breath to steady her nerves. “I’d think the maintenance guy would make sure the building was secure and empty before he left.”

“I agree,” Jake said. “Let’s pretend we’re window shopping along here,” he said. “We’ll keep an eye on the building, but I’m not expecting anyone else to come out.”

“Or go in, I hope,” Livvy said.

He slanted a look at her. “Yeah.”

By the time they reached the building, the sun had set over Manhattan. There was enough light to see, but dusk slid inexorably over the city. When they stepped up to the door, Jake already had his lock pick out. It only took seconds for him to unlock the door, and he opened it wide, waved her in, then followed her into the lobby. He quickly closed the door and locked it again, then drew her off to the side, away from the glass doors.

As they huddled against a wall, out of sight from the street, Livvy strained to hear any sounds from the building. She heard nothing. No voices. No machines running. Saw no lights in any of the offices. After ten or fifteen minutes, when they hadn’t heard a thing, Jake touched her elbow. Jerked his head toward the stairs, and she nodded.

They moved quickly up the first flight of stairs. By the time they reached the second floor, no one on the street could hear or see them. He bent and put his mouth to her ear. “We’re on the third floor. Room 320.”

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