Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
KAOS
Right.
I was feeling good. Really fucking good.
Actually, for the first time in a long time, my mind was singing.
I could focus.
Intense focus.
Like a hundred-eyed monster staring at a single quivering rat.
When I focused like this, I could ignore the gnawing shame and just act.
I hummed as I pulled my work clothes from my bag. Dark blue overalls, lined with pockets everywhere. Work boots. My favourite tool belt, which I repacked with everything I was going to need. And a vest with that shiny reflective stuff on it.
It was better than a VIP access card, because when I was dressed like this, not only would no one stop me, but no one would even remember me.
I tied back my hair and tucked it under my yellow beanie. I didn’t have to change any of my piercings, because they were all nonconductive.
Right.
Time to do some shit.
But first, goggles.
Couldn’t do shit without my goggles.
I adjusted them over my eyes and slipped out of the villa, keeping to the camera’s blind spots.
Sorry, vest, you’ll have your chance to “shine” once we aren’t near Laurel’s house.
Once I was out of the garden areas, I simply walked through the casino, keeping to the staff and maintenance corridors. No one gave me a second look.
It took me a bit of exploring, but eventually, I found what I was looking for—a quiet, empty corridor with panelling that let me slip inside the walls.
New, shiny, polished buildings were built tight and clean, with no extra spaces. But this building was old. It needed lots of fresh air from all the smokers. It had elevators they’d decommissioned and secret tunnels beneath the floors.
Lots of space for a happy little worm like me to wriggle inside.
I snapped my goggles over my eyes and fitted my respirator to my face.
I scrambled my way up and turned on my headlight before crawling along, checking the map Laurel had labelled to make sure I was headed in the right direction.
I started humming again as I marked my path in UV chalk.
Up this way, that way.
Round the bend.
I only had to take apart one ventilation shaft.
Right.
I should be close.
I wiggled my way through a much narrower section.
Working as quietly as I could, I unscrewed one of the ventilation shafts and turned on my borescope wire set. The picture was fuzzy, but I only needed to confirm where I was. I fed it through the shaft until it was angled so I could see into the room next to me.
Bingo.
It was the security control room for the underground levels of the casino.
Monitors displaying the securement wing, the Blood Well, and the main tunnels in and out of the place.
Two guards sat, watching the screens and chatting.
A tablet was propped up next to them, playing a sports game.
I moved the wire slightly, giving me a better view of the layout of the room, particularly where the monitor wires led.
There were two desks, and luck was on my side because one of them was just on the other side of this wall. I couldn’t do a happy dance, because it was too squeezy in here, so I settled on a happy toe wiggle instead.
I pulled my borescope back and carefully measured the wall, marking where the desk would be on the other side.
After making sure my respirator was fitted securely, I started stripping away the insulation from that section of wall until I had exposed the various wires and cables.
It was already hot in the walls, but I could feel the heat from the consoles on the other side and hear the fans as they worked away, confirming I was in the right spot.
I bent down to examine the cables more closely and gave a happy sigh through my respirator.
Laurel had told us there were two security control rooms—one for the main casino and resort, and a separate one for the Blood Well and securement wing.
That way, Thaddeus could hire regular security for the main casino and a separate group of security to watch over the more illegal parts of the building.
Casino security was no joke. It was definitely worth their while to invest in the best of the best equipment to ensure all the money they made was safe.
I’d tapped into the system upstairs—just to scramble the feed in the lobby and gardens when we needed—and it had been a real headache to even do that.
Thaddeus must have spent a fortune on the system.
I’d been praying that he hadn’t upgraded the drapes to match the curtains, and I’d been right. This system was modern, but the focus wasn’t on catching cheats or thieves; it was on recording the fights and keeping an eye on who came through.
That would make my job a lot easier.
I pulled out a small drill bit and carefully twisted it into the plaster, stopping to brush away the dust before my final push opened a hole in the wall.
I paused, listening, but no one had noticed or reacted to my intrusion over the sound of the sportscaster.
The borescope was slightly too big for the hole, which meant its lens was flush with the wall and gave me an unobstructed view of the back of the NVR security system.
One more round with my tiny drill, and I was peering through at the faintly glowing ethernet.
Hello, I greeted them, and one of the red indicator lights blinked happily back at me.
I have a new friend for you guys, I told them as I started threading my own cable through the hole. So, play nice.
I watched on the borescope screen as my little wire edged its way toward one of the empty ports. Closer… closer… with a practiced push, I slid it home.
Done.
Snitches get stitches, I warned the other ethernet cables before setting up my connection. I was hot and sticky but very, very satisfied as I brought up the security interface. I was fully in. Archives, live feeds, the whole lot.
I worked my way through until I found footage from just now, of Laurel making her way down to the securement wing.
Two clicks and it was gone.
Perfect.
Now to go have a shower.