24. Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-four
Alec
My body vibrates with adrenaline, and it’s so fucked up that I’m finding a thrill out of this. It wasn’t an easy decision, coming along with Summer to break into a room full of confidential files. In the police station, nonetheless.
I’ve worked hard to keep the peace and my life at bay, yet here I am, potentially screwing all of that up without even feeling a wee bit guilty.
Still, what do I gain from this?
Perhaps it’s because I’ve experienced the same emotions she’s currently going through, and I understand that the sense of solitude is truly one of the most difficult feelings to endure.
From my peripheral, I see Summer round the short corner where the front door sits. She moves diagonally from my parked spot, gradually picking up pace until she breaks into a run as soon as she's out of direct sight from the door.
I swiftly reach around the back, grabbing my black beanie and gloves that I always keep stashed for winter. Retrieving my sunglasses from the center console, I step out of the car and join her a few feet away.
Summer passes Brentley’s keycard to me at the same time I hand her the phone. “How did you…?” I go to ask, but she cuts me off before I can finish the question.
“It doesn’t matter.” She rushes out through short breaths.
I’m taken aback when her arms fly around my neck, pulling me in a tight embrace. Instantly, I wrap my arms around her waist. My cock jerks slightly behind my jeans, loving how perfectly her body molds to mine.
Her warm breath grazes against the crook of my neck as she whispers, “Be careful.”
Summer drops her arms to her side, and I’d love nothing more than to pull her back into me and forget this whole fucked up plan. But I don’t.
Instead, I nod, slipping on my beanie and my gloves, leaving my sunglasses for last before running to the side door. I take a quick, deep breath before using the keycard to unlock it. The door buzzes, and my teeth slam together on their own accord with the loud noise.
I’m swarming with something that feels like excitement, but the fear that clogs my insides won’t allow me to breathe correctly.
Still, I shove the door open and slip inside.
Without skipping a beat, I do exactly as planned. I stay against the right wall and walk with my head down, and ears peeled until I’m at the stairwell.
I dash down the stairs with all my speed, arriving at another door. The muscles beneath my skin pull tight, and I force a steady hand to push against the metal bar, creating a slight opening so my body can slide through effortlessly.
Keeping my back against the wall, I look around the dimly lit hallway. It’s empty, thankfully. But that doesn’t tame down the tension I feel within myself at the thought of someone making their way through at any given moment.
I glance up to the corner where Summer mentioned the camera is positioned, its lens pointed directly at me. My leg bounces as I contemplate a temporary method to disable the camera, concealing it to ensure I remain unnoticed.
I count to ten and take deep breaths to steady my beating heart.
I’m not positive this camera can track movements, but I stay flat against the wall for good measure.
Nodding to myself, I glide my back against the door, onto the wall on the other side, and tug my beanie off.
The only way I can keep myself from plain sight is if I can cover the lens.
Tossing my beanie up in the air, I pray it catches. But it doesn’t. I try again, swinging my arm up harder. My breath gets caught in my throat as I watch it dip down. Relief swarms me when I see the inside of my hat hook over the tip of the camera lens.
I wait another ten seconds before I dodge down the hallway. My adrenaline courses through my veins like a snake slithering in the grass. I stop when I see the big, bold, black letters that spell out ‘Confidential.’
My hands clamp underneath the thick gloves, leaving me to progressively try to wipe my fingers against my palm to swat it away. Tapping the keycard on my hand, I curse to myself and swipe it.
A red light flares at the top of the door, and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest.
God dammit, Summer, I think to myself.
The moment the door shuts, I debate on flicking the light on. I decide against it and pull my phone out, holding down on the flashlight icon until it shines through the dark room. Sliding my sunglasses off, I hook them into the collar of the shirt. My eyes scan the area momentarily to see rows of metal cabinets lining the room.
I blow out a breath, overwhelmed by where to start. When I reach for the first cabinet closest to me, I take a second to pull the first file out and read the name. It’s inconvenient, but it gives me enough information. Each cabinet is laid out in alphabetical order.
Relief swarms in at how much easier that makes my part.
Still, the panic wins the battle deep inside behind my ribs.
I move swiftly up and down the aisles until I find a row with the letter R and start looking carefully through each cabinet. There are about eight, maybe ten at that. My muscles tense. I roll my neck to release some of the aches I’m feeling, and my fingers start maneuvering through the manilla envelopes while the light on my phone shines up each name in the dark room.
It feels like I’ve been looking for twenty minutes.
Pulling open the second to last cabinet, I shuffle through the envelopes. My mouth curves upward, and I pull one of the envelopes out that reads Katherine Raleigh.
The trepidation inside me swarms and intensifies as I tuck the envelope under my arm and pull out my phone to text Summer.
Got it. Meet me in the car. We have to go… fast.
Turning to walk back to the door, I stop mid-step when my eyes catch the sections with last names that start with an S.
Temptation to shuffle through these cabinets for my file sweeps in, but I decide against it. Even if I took the file, I’m positive Raleigh has a backup somewhere and it’d be no use to me.
I have already lost Callie. So, what difference would it make?
A low beep sounds, and my eyes dart to the door as the knob slowly turns. I drop to the ground in near panic, stuffing my phone into my pocket and shuffling to the end of the room as quickly and quietly as possible. Meanwhile, a little voice in the back of my head is screaming at me. I duck underneath a table in the far back in just enough time before a man flicks the light on and starts to whistle. His boots tap against the ceramic floor, heading in my direction.
Instinctively, I stiffen. My eyes clamp shut while I hold my breath as if that’ll help me stay quiet. My chest rattles, my heart pounding. Sweat trickles across my forehead as the panic swirls around my insides.
Relax, Alec.
When I open my eyes slowly, they widen as I stare at two black work boots. I watch carefully as they move around the room.
Fuck, I need to relax. And I’m trying. I really am, but god damn, if this anxiety doesn’t stay at the shorelines, I’m not certain I’ll be able to succeed any further.
The whistling stops as a drawer glides open, echoing off the walls. I swallow the lump that is lodged in the center of my throat, forcing it down so I can suck in a proper amount of air.
I’m still breathing, so that’s good.
I haven’t been caught yet… even better.
The drawer closes with a loud slam. I jump from the sudden sound, but my muscles contract, tightening to the point I’m not sure I can feel anything anymore.
A buzz on the door bounces off the walls, and the whistling picks up again. The light turns off, and I listen carefully as the man travels further and further away until I hear nothing but the sound of my penetrating heart.
As soon as I hear the soft click of the door, my lungs expand as I suck in as much air as I possibly can to ensure I’m still alive. Then, I scramble myself out from under the table.
Wiping the sweat off my forehead with my arm, I swiftly retreat into the hallway, making sure to grab the broom from the corner of the confidential room before I leave.
Looking both ways to make sure the coast is clear, I mimic the same route I did when I came inside, using one end of the broom to retrieve my hat as carefully as possible without setting off any alarms.
My hat drops onto the floor. I grab it and rest the broom gently in the corner. Then, I dodge my way back up the stairs and outside.
The doors close, and I lean against the building, my breathing coming in short gasps. After a few short seconds of deep breaths, I toss the keycard as far as I can toward the front of the police station, just like we agreed on, and get back in the car.
Unable to control the laughter that escapes my lungs, I look at the file in my hands and smile.