Page 118 of Before I Loved You

“I am.” I jump out of bed and reach into my bag, grabbing the chip from the pocket. “You’re sure this is going to work? I don’t want this to backfire and cause Sarah any more issues.”

“Relax. This is what I do,” Ray says confidently. “The bastard won’t know what he had coming until it’s too late.”

“Okay. Okay.” I let out a deep breath. “Now, how the fuck am I supposed to get into his room without getting caught?”

Knowing Greyson, the second we checked into the hotel, he threw his stuff inside his room and wandered to the hotel bar to find the night’s entertainment. So I’m not too worried he’ll be in his room; I’m more concerned that this whole mission will be unsuccessful.

I can’t fail Sarah.

“I checked the hotel camera footage and saw Greyson leave his room ten minutes ago. So stop being a pussy and open the email I just sent you,” he says matter-of-factly.

“You’re the pussy,” I murmur under my breath as I open the email and scroll to the QR code.

“I’m the one currently sitting in a multibillion-dollar facility with access to any camera in the world.”

I roll my eyes. “Now what?”

“Now, walk over to Greyson’s room across the hall and hold that code in front of the door scanner.”

“This better fucking work.” I walk out into the hallway, checking both sides.

Seeing the coast is clear, I step toward Greyson’s room. Holding the QR code before the scanner, I wait until a green light flashes and the door unlocks.

“I’m in.” My hand clutches the door handle, pushing it open, and I step inside, quickly closing the door behind me. I bolt the top metal lock in place in case Greyson decides to make an early appearance.

“Okay, now find his laptop,” Ray directs. His fingers are heard in the background typing away, preparing for his upcoming task.

I hit the speakerphone option and place the phone on the nightstand. After a few minutes, I find his laptop in a case at the bottom of his suitcase.

“It has a fucking lock on it,” I groan, pulling at the lock that won’t budge.

“Jeez, this kid really is paranoid.”

I look around the room, searching for anything to take this lock off with, when I spot stationery sitting on the nearby desk. A paper clip on the stack of note cards grabs my attention. Quickly, I unbind it, transforming it into a straight line, and shove it in the lock, playing with it until I feel the abrupt snap of the lock releasing.

I carefully unzip the case and then pull out the laptop. “I got it.” I hit the power button, watching the screen wake, and a box appears, asking for a password.

“All right, insert the chip.”

I pick up the laptop and turn it over, but I can’t find a hole big enough to fit the chip into. “I can’t find the hole.”

I regret the words the second they leave my mouth because as soon as they do, Ray says, “That’s what he said.”

I shake my head. “Really. Right now?”

“Sorry, but it was the perfect setup.” He coughs, holding in his laugh. “It’s on the left side, closest to the screen.

I find it and do as he says, and then wait. And wait. And wait. “How long is this going to take?” I glance over at the door, anticipating Greyson storming inside.

“Relax. I’m almost…” A box displays on the screen asking me to approve the user. “Okay, approve the access for me.”

The second I do, my stomach drops, fearful of what my brother is about to find.

He lets out a heavy breath, alerting me that something isn’t right.

“What? What?” I squeeze the back of my neck, trying to remain calm. But I fucking can’t.

“I’m going to need you to take a deep breath, man,” he says calmly.

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