The moment Erin stepped out of the Uber, her breath caught in her throat. The area around the warehouse was dimly lit, the silence stretching wide and eerie under the blanket of night. She crouched low behind a stack of rusted barrels, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Xander's sleek black car parked just outside the looming metal structure.
The warehouse itself was massive, its worn facade and broken windows giving off an abandoned vibe. But Erin wasn't fooled. She could already sense the subtle movement around its perimeter—men in black, communicating silently with each other. She counted at least five guards pacing near the side entrance.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. This wasn't some harmless outing. Something serious was happening here, and she was about to walk straight into it.
She waited for the guards to change positions before creeping around the barrels and making her way toward the back. The shadows were thick, and she moved with calculated precision, every step measured. The air was cold, sharp with the scent of oil and metal.
At the back of the warehouse, she spotted another entry—a service door. But it had a keypad lock.
Of course it does.
She glanced over her shoulder. No one was watching. She slid a thin wire out of her pocket—one of the tools she'd brought in her small handbag, just in case—and began to work on the lock. Her fingers trembled slightly, more from the stakes than from fear. It clicked after a few seconds.
She slipped inside.
The interior of the warehouse was even darker. Stale air pressed against her face as she ducked behind a stack of crates. The sound of muffled footsteps echoed across the concrete floor. She paused, holding her breath. Two guards passed by, their conversation low and in hushed tones. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but the tension in their voices was clear.
Waiting until they disappeared into another corridor, she moved again—closer now to where she suspected Xander might be. Every door she passed, she paused, listening. Nothing.
Then she turned a corner and came face to face with one of the guards.
His eyes widened, and his mouth opened to shout—but Erin didn't hesitate. She launched forward, driving her knee into his stomach and slamming his head into the wall with one swift motion. He crumpled. She dragged his unconscious body behind a crate and exhaled sharply.
"Focus," she muttered to herself.
She pressed forward, slipping into the shadows once again. Another guard was stationed near a door at the far end of the corridor. She needed a distraction.
Her eyes flicked to the left. A metal canister lay beside the wall. She picked it up, took a deep breath, and tossed it toward the other end of the hallway. It clattered loudly.
The guard turned instantly, gun drawn, moving toward the sound.
She darted forward, slammed her elbow into the back of his neck, and caught his body before it hit the ground.
Two down.
Erin could feel her pulse racing, adrenaline burning in her veins. She was getting closer. Each door she passed was unmarked, but the one at the end had a card reader. That had to be it.
She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a forged clearance card—another gift from her informant. She slid it through.
Denied.
She swore under her breath.
Suddenly, she heard voices approaching from behind. No time.
She backed into a niche in the wall just as two more guards rounded the corner. Her breath caught again—one of them was looking directly in her direction. But after a tense second, they kept walking.
She waited until they were gone, then turned back to the door.
If she couldn't go through it… she'd go above.
She spotted a set of metal pipes running across the ceiling like skeletal veins. Climbing them was a risk—but so was everything tonight.
She scaled the crates nearby and grabbed onto the lowest pipe. Her arms screamed in protest, but she kept going, inch by inch, until she was above the door. There—a vent.
She pried it open with her knife and crawled through the narrow shaft. It was stifling, but she didn't stop.
The shaft ended with a grate that overlooked a large room—surrounded by thick, steel-reinforced walls. Inside, men were gathered around a table covered in documents and laptops.
But it wasn't the men who caught her attention.
It was Xander.
He stood on the far side of the room, head bowed, speaking with someone she couldn't see clearly.
She pressed herself lower, her eyes scanning every inch of the room. There—on the table. Stacks of files.
Something was off. This wasn't just a business deal. This was something bigger.
Erin didn't know what it was yet, but she intended to find out.