Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
JADE
We’d done all we could with the information Jewel had provided, but now we needed more. I needed to see Ascend in person to plan our way inside. I’d forbidden Jewel from coming in case he got recognized, and Casey had stayed back with him.
It was a rainy evening, and Hugo was with me as we walked down the street. He had the very important job of holding an umbrella over both of us.
We reached Ascend, and I retrieved my headset from my bag. I pulled it on, calling Jewel and Casey.
“Hi, darling. I miss you,” Jewel said.
“We’re at Ascend,” I told him.
He huffed.
“Well, obviously.”
I let him stew while I examined the building. From the outside, it looked like a grimy, old-school industrial factory. The yellow walls were decorated in graffiti, and a chain-link fence surrounded the property. The concrete was cracked, with leaves and dead trees adding to the cheerful vibe.
It was four stories high with narrow multi-panelled windows. I stopped outside the locked gates.
“So, at eight p.m., the doors open to the public.” I pointed at the front doors. Hugo hummed in agreement. “Most people stay up there, but if you’re special, you make your way down to the basement. Maybe flirt with the dancers or catch one of the rut fights.”
I was startled when Hugo put his arm around my shoulders and tucked me into his side.
I huffed out a laugh, turning to look up at him.
“You were getting wet.” His voice was gruff.
Aah. What a softie. “Thanks. Okay, we’re going around the back.”
We kept walking around the building, only slowing down when we spotted the loading dock. I studied it.
“So, I’ll be trying to get to the second floor. Best bet is to try and get access to the freight elevator that connects all the floors.”
I frowned, looking at the delivery vehicles. “Those are our best bet.”
According to Jewel, the second floor was where all the offices were. When he’d been there, the videos had been locked in Dax’s office, so I’d be going there first.
“Mm-hmm,” Hugo said. I didn’t think he was paying much attention, especially when he nuzzled into my neck.
“Hugo!” I protested. “I’m trying to work here.”
“I’m not stopping you,” he said, brushing his cheek against my short hair. It was impossible to focus like that, especially when he kept doing it.
“Are you scent marking me?”
He chuckled. “You smell good like this.”
“No fair.” I could hear Jewel pouting. “I can’t believe you do that without me.”
I grinned but turned back to the building. I had come here for a reason, after all.
“The third floor is where the bunks are.”
Jewel had described it as “miserable,” and I wasn’t surprised. He’d recounted a living space converted from old locker rooms and shared staff shower rooms, designed for warehouse workers. Apparently bunk beds were shoved everywhere, even in cramped storage closets.
“If everything goes according to plan, you and Jewel will end up on the fourth floor.” I pointed to the top level, where the VIP lounge and kitchen were. “If the hard drives aren’t in the offices, I’ll be heading there too.”
“Wait, why?” Hugo said. “That’s where all the dangerous people will be.”
“It’s got the suites. The hard drive may have been moved to a safe in one of the rooms.”
?
We’d gotten ahold of the delivery schedule and picked out a vehicle that Casey could actually drive—a large van that took care of laundry. It came twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
Neither Jewel nor Hugo liked my part of the plan, because it involved both me and Casey going into Ascend separately from them. The thing was, we needed a driver.
Jewel would be too recognizable, and Hugo had gruffly admitted he couldn’t drive, which ruled him out of that part.
Casey had insisted on being included, and I figured giving him the role as driver would be pretty low risk.
He’d basically park, deliver the clean laundry, load up the dirty bins, and then get out of there.
On the slight chance that they found him smuggling me in, he could claim innocence.
We’d even added him as a staff person for the laundry company and everything.
I’d known a guy who’d known a guy who’d gotten Casey hired as a backup driver as a favour.
I thought they were worrying far too much. We were aiming to enter at eight p.m., which gave us four hours until our cutoff time at midnight.
Casey and I were currently at the laundry company’s building, watching the staff load Ascend’s order into the van.
“Why on earth do they need so much laundry?” I asked. “It’s a nightclub.”
He shrugged. “Towels and uniforms? Though Jewel said it’s mostly bedding. And the outfits the dancers use.”
“Ew,” I said. “Oh! You’re up.”
The manager looked pissed as he looked at his phone. He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair.
I’d given the actual delivery driver a coffee laced with laxatives. He was probably currently stuck on a toilet, in no state to drive anything anytime soon.
Casey adjusted the driver’s cap, picked up his clipboard, and walked over to the van.
I watched with bated breath as the manager approached Casey. I may have slipped him a lax-coffee too. A little less potent, but I was hoping that he’d be needing the bathroom about now and wouldn’t ask Casey too many questions.
I saw him point to the van, and Casey nodded. The man tossed him the keys and left in a hurry. Perfect.
Casey got into the car and drove closer to my hiding place. I glanced around, then dashed over to him and scrambled into the passenger seat.
“Good job!” I told him, giving him a peck on the cheek.
He was sweaty but gave a nod as I moved into the back.
He started driving again as I climbed into one of the large bins, carefully making space and burying myself beneath piles of folded towels. At least these were clean.
I kept an eye on Casey’s route and pulled the sheets over my head as we neared Ascend. It was all up to him now.
?
CASEY
Miss Jade had called me brave, but I sure didn’t feel brave as I pulled into the docking station at the back of the industrial building. I was sweating a lot and had to remind myself to breathe as I parked.
Maybe I shouldn’t have insisted on coming tonight, after all.
A redheaded woman in overalls dropped her cigarette butt on the floor and squished it with the heel of her combat boot.
I climbed out of the van as she approached. “Sorry, I’m new,” I told her, wiping my hands on my pants. “Where’s all this going?”
“Service elevator.” She nodded to some doors behind me. “Third floor.”
“Thanks.”
She held out her hand. I stared at it. “Inventory?” she said.
“Oh! Right.” I opened the door of the van and took out the clipboard, almost dropping it. “All here.”
She took it and handed me a key card that had “elevator” written on it.
I wiped my hands on my pants again and went to open the back of the van.
It took me a second to figure out how to pull out the ramp, but I managed in the end.
There was a rack, a bin, and a cart of sealed bags.
I glanced at the bin and straightened out the laundry on top.
No one else bothered me as I maneuvered the rack down the ramp and to the service elevators. I left them outside and brought over the bin and the cart. I didn’t like the idea of leaving Jade down here while I was upstairs.
I froze as the elevator doors opened, revealing two workers. Thankfully, they didn’t even spare me a glance as they walked out.
I was nervous but also a little proud of myself as I calmly loaded my cargo into the elevators and pressed the third-floor button.
“You, okay?” I asked Jade as the doors closed.
“Fine, but shh!” came a muffled response.
I rocked on my feet as we went up, the swooping sensation not helping my nerves.
The doors opened, revealing a grimy-looking corridor lit with flickering fluorescent lights. For a second, I was taken back to the tunnels underneath the Blood Well. I’d been underground for months in corridors just like these, cracked walls and fluorescent lights that weighed on my vision.
Forcing myself to take a breath, I grabbed the rack and focused on the sound of the wheels rattling as I entered the corridor. I wasn’t stuck here this time. I was just delivering some laundry. I’d be out of here in a few minutes, after I’d done my part.
I kept reminding myself that as I wheeled the rest of my cargo out.
Where was I going again?
The door at the end, right?
There were a lot of doors along this corridor.
It seemed unreasonably long.
Music was thumping through the walls, and I could feel the vibrations in the floor. I started moving the bin first, keeping my head down. Someone came out of a door on my left but stopped to let me pass.
My breathing was coming in short pants by the time I reached the door at the end. It opened into a room crammed with bins of dirty linen. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of sweaty alphas and other musk I’d rather not identify.
Jewel and Hugo were not going to be happy if we brought any of this scent back.
No one was here, so I pushed the bin to the side by a metal table. “We’re clear,” I told Jade.
The pile of laundry shifted, and her dark hair popped out from underneath the fabric. Her cheeks were flushed and pink from heat.
“Woo! We did it, peaches!” she whisper-shouted, and held up her hand for a high five.
I was glad she was so energized; I felt like maybe I could sleep for a week.
I helped pull her out of the bin and handed her a clean, black uniform.
“Great. I’ll see you after midnight, okay?” She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to my cheek and then darted off to the bathroom to change.
Right.
Okay.
I’d got her in.
Now my job was to keep acting as normal as possible to avoid suspicion.
I trudged back down the long corridor and returned with the rack. I was opening the door again and glanced up as I realized the room wasn’t empty anymore. Two people were standing in the corner, arguing over something.
I froze in the doorway, fighting the urge to run.
One of them was someone I’d hoped to never see again.
?
JADE
I wound my way carefully through the back of the building, keeping my head down. I’d snuck down a flight of stairs to the second floor and found a janitor’s closet. With the stolen uniform and the cleaning cart, all I’d have to do was not draw any attention.
Jewel had sketched out a map of the club and circled Dax’s old office.
I trundled past a few more people, then rounded the corner. I spotted the door I was targeting at the far end, though there were people lingering in the corridor. I’d have to wait until it was clear.
I pulled out the dustpan and brush and got to work sweeping the floor.
God, it was filthy down here.
I slowed as I heard a voice behind me.
“It wasn’t my fault.” The petulant voice was unmistakable, and it set my heart pounding.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see Prince Lucas and Valentino Fairchild walking toward me.
I held my breath as they passed by. Both of them had met me before—one as Shade, and one as both Shannon and Shaun.
Thankfully, neither of them spared me a glance.
“No one said it was,” Valentino replied, his tone carefully neutral. “But I still think it’s best if you stay off the floor for tonight.”
They headed down toward the offices.
Shit.
Were they headed for my destination?
I held my breath, but luck was on my side. They kept walking to the elevators at the end of the corridor. The doors slid open with a ping.
“Now, what was it you found?” Valentino asked before the door clicked shut and cut him off.
I watched the numbers light up above the elevator, indicating they’d gone up to the fourth floor. I shivered with the burst of adrenaline and triumph as they left and couldn’t help grinning.
The other loiterers had cleared out, so it was just little ol’ me alone and now right next to the office.
I moved the cart in front of the door and slid out my lock-picking tools.
My hands were sweating inside my gloves, but I was steady as I worked the pins. Finally, the door opened with a click, and I slipped inside.
It was a pretty boring office, to be honest.
I set to work searching for my prize, starting with the desk drawers.
The bottom one was locked, but I grinned as I yanked it open and found a pile of hard drives.
I pulled out my cord from ym very fashionable fanny pack, and connected my phone to the first one.
Being friends with Kaos had given me a lot of very useful new equipment and skills.
I didn’t have time to figure out which one was the right one, so I’d just copy the contents from all of them. We wanted Jewel’s stuff, obviously, but bonus points for anything I could get on top of that. Blackmail material for anyone who’d ever done anything illegal here.
I scrawled Try harder next time on the top of them with a Sharpie. Our play involved Jewel being able to leverage Valentino, and to do that, we’d have to prove I’d been there.
I worked methodically, copying the data onto the USB stick I’d brought. I hummed a song to myself as I waited, checking in on my pack members through the bond. Casey was nervous, but that wasn’t anything new. He should be out of here soon, safe and sound.
Finally, I was all done. I hiked my foot up onto the desk and peeled back part of the rubber in my worn-looking shoe. The USB fit perfectly into the gap under my left heel.
It was funny how something so small could hold so much. There were years’ worth of videos on here, proof of Jewel’s captivity in this place.
I stepped out into the corridor and locked the door behind me.
Okay.
Now it was Jewel’s turn.