Chapter 8 #2
Once I cut the power going to it, he will have no choice but to call his office.
I will then magnanimously hand his precious kingdom back over, after he gets me the hell home.
Negotiating with the bonehead for my release shouldn’t be too hard since no one has been hurt after all, but I am not taking the fall for some more bullshit.
I figure the cash I just sent the humanitarian efforts council will go to good use, my fee for all of the work the last few days under high stress conditions. He should consider himself lucky.
It should be a simple thing to bypass the link between the security system and the power to the building. Even if it is a skyscraper, the proverbial balls of Frank Stein, this place is not impenetrable.
My stomach flip-flops like a pancake tossed from a well-oiled skillet when Frank marches towards a wall that reveals metal when he presses a discreet button I’d never notice.
“Bingo,” I say, the moment the wall moves enough to read the elevator number, and I input it into a search bar tied to his system to change the access code. I work quickly to change it, forcing the doors to close before he can move to step into it.
I spin myself in the chair, tossing my arms above my head. “You kidnapped the wrong one,” I squeal, letting out a cackle like the wicked bitch I am, and settle in to wait.
Across the screen I watch his big muscles bunch in his suit as he jams at the buttons over and over on the panel. I get up from my seat, dancing around the room with happiness. I bend my knees and twerk, coming to a stop when the phone on the table rings. Oh boy oh boy. Just like I said.
I answer the phone. “Bernie’s Mule Farm head jackass speaking?”
“Miss Crenshaw, any idea why the elevator isn’t working?” Frank asks, his tone light.
“Hmm, I mean, it could have something to do with the fact that I changed the code,” I answer. I start to laugh, the sound deep as my shoulders shake, and the line goes silent. “Hello?”
I turn the chair back around and my heart stops.
“What the fuck?”
The elevator doors slide open and I get a short glimpse of Frank’s broad back as he moves to get on.
Shit.
My fingers are a blur in motion as I fight to keep him from getting up here. I expected him to take the stairs once I made the elevator useless. Only it’s not useless, because the doors are now closing, allowing him and his men to climb aboard and make their way easily up here.
Fuck.
Mikael had let slip that it’s the only private elevator and the only elevator that can reach the penthouse. A crazy security measure, but one that works to my advantage, or would if changing the code to the elevator had actually worked.
How did he do that…
He must have a bypass code. Shit, that’s what I would have done too.
Ugh. It would have been so perfect to make them all run the stairs. I wonder where they even are, and Talbot is definitely not up to building code if they don’t have one. My mind fixates on useless information as I find the controls to the elevator and try to take back control.
A few keystrokes later and a satisfied chuckle passes between my lips. “Let’s see you use the elevator when it doesn’t have power big guy.”
I snort to myself, watching the lights inside the elevator, waiting on them to go dark, but my brows come together when they barely flicker in response to my commands.
“What the actual fuck?” I say to no one in particular. How is this possible?
Shaking my head at how there’s probably no way I’m not going to see a jail cell after tonight, negotiations definitely did not go as planned, but I think I can cut the power to the building.
I leap to my feet and begin shutting down the whole building. Night night, Talbot Global. Once the power goes out, the generators should kick on automatically, giving me just enough time to escape.
I very seriously doubt Frank Stein tells the news about how he had me kidnapped and forced me to work for him a few days, which should keep him from telling the cops about me.
Of course, if the cops do show up, I could just claim I shut down the building to escape?
I shrug. Either way Frank loses, which is good with me, bummer about the building though.
But I wince at how the whole place is about to be left in the dark, the many restaurants, the gym, people are going to be upset.
It shouldn't take that long to get the power back.
“Sorry my dudes,” I mumble under my breath, plunging the whole building into darkness.
I get to my feet, stumbling from the massive chair to press my face to the glass. Years ago, Talbot Global had a water fountain put in out front, with a lightshow attached that never ceases to dazzle the New Yorkers and everyone else on vacation.
I relax against the glass wall, relief coursing through me when I find it unmoving, its lights out—distinguished and quiet.
“Yes! Aha! Take that, Frank Stein!” I shout.
I dance in place, shuffling my feet easily along the smooth marble floors as I running man in the richest man in the world’s office.
Prancing with glee, I shuffle back to the desk, awaiting Frank’s call.
“What should our list of demands be Edgar?” I ask him.
“I think we should definitely demand a vacation after this, what do you think?” I laugh, but the sound catches in my throat when the hum of the air conditioning registers in my ears.
My stomach drops, the happy butterflies turn to lead as the realization dawns that my little power outage didn’t even cause a blip.
“Shit.”