Page 33 of Doc
Nova’s hand gripped my shoulder, her fingers digging in with increasing pressure as the full scope became clear.“We need to download everything.Every record, every transaction.”
I nodded, pulling another USB drive from my pocket and beginning the transfer.Nova returned to the file cabinets, gathering the most damning paper evidence to take with us.The pieces were falling into place faster than we’d hoped, painting a picture of corruption that ran through the entire county system.
I was so focused on downloading the evidence that I almost missed it -- the sweep of headlights across the front windows, casting momentary shadows across the office floor.
“Nova,” I whispered, immediately killing the monitor.“Security.”
She froze by the filing cabinet, her body going absolutely still.We listened as a car door slammed outside, followed by footsteps on gravel.The night security guard.
“Hide.”I motioned toward the back of the office where large filing cabinets created shadowed corners.
Nova gathered her evidence quickly but quietly, sliding behind a tall cabinet just as a flashlight beam swept through the front windows.I remained at the computer, waiting for the download to complete, painfully aware of each passing second.Eighty-seven percent.Eighty-nine percent.
Keys jingled at the front door.Ninety-three percent.
The lock turned with a heavy click.Ninety-eight percent.
The door swung open just as the download completed.I yanked the drive free and ducked behind a desk, my heart hammering against my ribs as the security guard’s flashlight beam cut through the darkness of the office.
“Hello?”a male voice called.“Anyone in here?”
I pressed myself against the desk, controlling my breathing the way I’d learned in combat situations.Across the room, Nova was a shadow among shadows, completely still.
The guard’s footsteps carried deeper into the office, his flashlight sweeping methodically across the space.Its beam slid over the desk I hid behind, then jerked back and reversed.A faint glow betrayed me -- the computer monitor.I had killed the display, but the system still ran, the tiny green light shining in the darkness like a beacon.
“What the hell?”the guard muttered, moving toward the clerk’s desk where I’d been working moments before.
Time was up.We had what we needed, but now we needed to get out.And that had just become infinitely more complicated.
Chapter Nine
Doc
The guard’s flashlight beam lingered on the computer as his footsteps drew closer to where I hid.Combat training kicked in -- assess, adapt, act.Nova stood too far away for us to coordinate, and the flash drive with our evidence burned in my pocket like a live coal.Getting caught wouldn’t just mean arrest; it would tip off everyone tied to the trafficking ring that someone hunted them.The trouble Nova had faced so far would escalate and soon she’d be the one dead and buried.Not an option.My gaze locked with Nova’s across the dark room, and I raised my hand in a sharp signal: Stay.Don’t move.Let me handle this.
She gave a barely perceptible nod, pressing herself deeper into the shadows behind the filing cabinet.I tracked the guard’s movements, listening as he muttered to himself, the click of the mouse indicating he was checking the computer.
“System’s running… who the hell was in here?”His voice carried easily in the silent office.
I needed to draw him away from both Nova and the computer.A quick scan of the room revealed a heavy stapler on the desk near my position -- perfect.I waited until the guard focused on the monitor, then slid my hand up and closed my fingers around the metal object.
With one fluid motion, I hurled the stapler across the room, aiming for the far corner where a door stood partially open.The stapler crashed against something metal -- a trash can, from the sound of it -- creating a satisfying clatter that echoed through the quiet office.
“Who’s there?”The guard’s voice sharpened, his flashlight beam immediately swinging toward the noise.“This is security.Come out now!”
I pressed myself flat against the floor as the guard moved past my hiding spot, his heavy footsteps heading toward the break room.The moment he passed, I signaled to Nova -- two quick hand gestures we’d established earlier.Get the evidence.Head for the exit.
She moved immediately, slipping from behind the filing cabinet and back to the drawer she’d been searching.Her movements were quick but deliberate as she gathered the remaining financial records, sliding them into her messenger bag.
I stayed low, crawling toward the side door we’d entered through.When I reached it, I waited, watching as Nova finished collecting the documents.She took one step toward me, then froze as her elbow caught a stack of folders balanced precariously on the edge of a desk.For one suspended moment, I thought they might stay put.
They didn’t.
The folders crashed to the floor, papers spilling across the linoleum with a sound that might as well have been a gunshot in the silent office.
“Hey!”The guard’s shout was immediate, his flashlight beam swinging back toward the main office area, catching Nova in its glow.“Stop right there!”
“Run!”I called, abandoning stealth for speed.
