Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Justin hesitated, unable to decide if they should stick to their original timing or if he should give Gabriel an extra minute before moving lower to shut down the next level of security. He looked at the sixth floor, where Gabriel was headed. The security camera revealed more dark offices and a couple of desks, likely for personal assistants. All was quiet…except for the back office. There was a light on.
Frowning, Justin leaned closer, trying to tell himself that maybe someone left the light on after leaving for the day.
But then a shadow moved across the open door. Someone was in one of the offices, and Gabriel was headed right for it.
There was nothing Justin could do to warn him.
* * *
Gabriel hoisted the bag hanging from his shoulder a little higher and shifted from his left foot to his right as he waited for the elevator to descend to the sixth floor. Hamilton’s office hadn’t provided him with a lot of useful information. He did find a file dedicated to the drug’s FDA review, but there wasn’t enough time to read it all, so he’d grabbed the entire thing and stuffed it into his bag.
He’d spent another minute checking the office, but there wasn’t much that stood out. Well, except for the Post-it Note that had a quickly scrawled couple of words, which closely resembled a password. He’d snapped a picture of that. Justin could definitely make use of it if this raid proved to be a bust.
A glance at his watch showed that he was running late. But then, he’d noticed that the light next to the security panels for each of the doors took an extra minute to disappear. It had to mean a problem in the security room.
Something in Gabriel screamed to turn around and return to the first floor to check on Justin. He didn’t know if the delay meant there was trouble with Justin taking down the guard or if Justin had been hurt. It was killing him not to talk to him. He opened and closed his fists at his sides. Part of this job was watching Justin’s back, and it was the one thing Gabriel couldn’t do right then.
But heading to the first floor meant passing up the chance to go through Elba’s office. There was no way they’d be able to get into Iaso a second time.
No, he had to keep going. Even if it drove him insane. Justin could take care of himself. He was fine. He had to be fine.
Growling at himself, he surged out of the elevator as the door soundlessly opened at the sixth floor. He needed to fucking focus. This was why he didn’t work with partners. This was why he didn’t let his heart get involved with people. They were a distraction. They stole his concentration from the job.
But even as he scolded himself, he knew he wasn’t looking forward to walking away from Justin when this was all over. Assuming they could both walk away from this job at the end. His passion for the work had certainly waned since meeting Justin. Working without him definitely felt dull now…and lonely.
It took a hard shake of his head to get the last of the wandering thoughts out. He’d worry about Justin and his own future later. He needed to concentrate on the job, and the next step was finding Elba’s office. The elevators opened onto a smaller lobby with a few desks that looked to belong to personal assistants. Beyond them were a couple of narrow hallways lined with office doors.
Gabriel started down the first hall, his footsteps silent on the marble floor, but slowed when he reached the office at the end of the hall. A soft yellow light glowed out through a crack in the open door. He stopped when a shadow shifted through the light and there was the soft clack of keys. Someone—possibly Elba—was working late.
Quietly placing the bag outside the door, Gabriel pulled the gun hidden inside his uniform and slowly pushed open the door. A small lamp glowed on the desk, casting its light on an older man with thinning gray hair and round, red cheeks. He squinted through a pair of small glasses at his computer screen as he furiously tapped on the keyboard. Sweat glistened on his forehead and his dark tie hung loose around the collar of his white shirt.
“Dr. Saul Elba, I presume,” Gabriel said as he stepped into the room.
The old man’s head popped up and his watery blue eyes widened behind the thick frames. He gasped and sputtered, his gaze jumping from Gabriel’s face to the gun pointed at his chest.
“Wh-who are you? What are you doing here?”
“I think we need to have a word or two about your newest research project.”
The surprised fear drained from his expression in an instant, and his lips thinned as he pressed them together in rage. He gave a little shake of his head and then said, “I’m assuming you’re talking about Siltryptrose.”