Page 15 of Her Dragon Outlaw

I keep my breath steady and my footsteps constant as I peek inside lab room after lab room. Finally, I notice a plaque on one of the doors. The bold print of the doctor's name has a slanted, curvier writing beneath it which states, Head Researcher. Jackpot. If there was anything to find, this is the place to do it.

The door groans as I meticulously guide it forward wide enough for me to slip through. The second I cross the threshold a timer hangs over my head.

Tik. Tik. Tik.

I scan the perfect, lifeless office. The modern sleek desk and minimalist seating chairs are the only indications that this was not a random file room. My gaze lifts as I take in the six-by-eight wall of file cabinets.

Tik. Tik. Tik.

Well, this sucks.

I scrounge through each metal drawer. My fingers pick across the endless rows of documents, informationals, invoices, and all matters of legal paperwork. I threw the useless papers back in their drawer.

Tik. Tik. Tik.

My skin is damp. The possibility of failure lurks at the edge of my straining eyesight. I look at the small red tag on the drawer directly behind the desk. A smirk tugs in the corner of my lips and I rush to it.

Tik. Tik. Tik. They come faster now.

My heart bruises the inside of my ribs as I pull it open. There are several folders inside, each filled to the brim with paperwork. I pull out the one sitting on top and leaf through the crisp sheets of paper.

Tik. Tik. Tik.

The tension in my temples spreads as my frown deepens. My fingers tremble. Words like failure, nonresponsive, mutagen passed, and human genome along with a bunch of numbers and charts and graphs I can't begin to decipher.

Suddenly the clock stops, and the solid thump of footsteps sounds down the hall, growing louder, clearer, with each step. Tossing the file into the drawer haphazardly, I slam it shut and dart underneath the desk. The door makes a low stretching sound as it's opened.

The owner's confident stride comes at me from all sides, an omniscient force slowly covering me like saran wrap. I pull my knees to my chest, attempting to make myself smaller as the soles of his black shoes come into view. The man sits, his long white lab coat hanging at either side of his long legs.

His legs jut out beneath the desk. My heart drops. The tip of his shoes were mere centimeters from mine. Just one small shift forward, that’s all it would take for him to realize something wasn’t right.

The chair squeaks and he twists in the chair, bending to open the drawer I was just looking through. His chin dips low. Then his mouth comes into view, and his nose. My body is a statue. I lick my dry lips, sending a silent curse out to the universe.

From this position, I’m not going to have much of a chance to run. But I still have to try.

I’m sure it must have been seconds, but it felt like hours. Time slows, dragging my heart with it as his fingers dug beneath the stack of papers. He grunted, pulling out a single, thin file, and abruptly stood, leaving the chair swinging behind him as he exits.

I listen until his footsteps are hollow. Letting out an audible sigh, I reach for the file, tucking it into the inner pocket of my jacket. I don’t wait to check out the halls as I quickly half-jogged through them.

Now that I have what I came for, all I want is to find Cody so we can find Tammy.

I head towards the back exit of the lobby, completely avoiding the receptionist's desk. As I round the front, I head to the window, ready to wave Cody back when I see him leaning over the desk, the receptionist's hand in his as she laughs at something he said. He gives her a dazzling smile in return and my fingernails bite into my palm.

As if he can sense me there he turns, giving me a slight nod before turning back to the woman.

My face grows hot and I rip my eyes from the window.

I’ve got better things to do than to think about who Cody flirts with.

14

CODY

“That was brilliant.” My face flushes and sweat drips from my forehead from the adrenaline of what feels like a heist. I put my hand on her shoulder and steer her towards my car. “Get in, come on.”

In the car, Lori hands me the file. “Fresh out of the oven.”

“This is amazing.” I cannot help but be impressed by her sleuthing skills. She has certainly risen to the challenge. “You’re really impressive, you know that?”

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