Page 22 of Crude Heir

99% complete.

Anticipation nearly pulls me from my seat. One percent to go, yet it drags on endlessly. How long can a single percentage point take? Seconds? It feels like I’ve been stuck in some sort of time loop since I made the decision to start copying over the files. It’s as if fate, or something like it, is working against me. Honestly, the software they’ve been using is practically a dinosaur. It’s the main reason the download is taking forever.

Come on, come on!I’m on the edge of my seat, ready to bolt as soon as it finishes. Just a little more...

Thunder rumbles in the background. Immediately after, lightning cracks so hard it sounds like it split the building inhalf. Either my imagination is running away with me or the floor shook.

This was a mistake. I never should have stayed so late alone. What was I thinking?

The lights overhead flicker, short rapid blinks that make the fluorescent lights sputter, then cut out completely. My office is plunged into darkness. The monitor winks out, the low hum of the tower below the desk goes silent, just as the air coming through the vents stops.

“Nooooo!” I slam my palms against the desk as the computer switches off at the worst possible moment. It takes all of two seconds for my subconscious to register I’m sitting in silence, surrounded in complete and utter darkness. The only light spot is the rectangular image left burned into my mind’s eye from staring at the monitor so hard.

My breath rasps in my throat as anxiety constricts my chest. I’ve had a deep-seated fear of the dark since childhood, a terror of being closed in and confined. My office sits in the middle of the building, so there’s no windows. I had the door shut for privacy, so the room didn’t just go dark, it went pitch-black.

I freeze, my pulse hammering as panic grips me. I can barely breathe. Memories from a long-remembered nightmare surge to the forefront of my mind. I’m that little girl again, back in that narrow room, sitting in the darkness, aware that someone or something is moving restlessly behind me. There’s thunder all around me, people yelling as I press my hands to my ears.

The walls feel like they’re closing in on me. Any second now, they’ll slam into each other, crushing the desk like it’s sitting in the middle of a trash compactor.

“Nicole?” A man’s voice reaches me from somewhere beyond my office.

“Uh…huh.” My own voice is high and tight, but it’s all I can muster. I drag in a breath, struggling to get the cool air past the band constricting my throat.

I glance at the far wall. The door to my office is open. A shadow stands outlined in a lesser black than the entrance. Derrick. It has to be him. I force my mind to cling to that reasoning, seeking solace in his presence.

The large shadow moves away from the door, coming toward me. “We’re okay.” Derrick’s voice, calm and sure, cuts through the darkness. “The power went out with the storm.” Thunder rumbles again to emphasize his words. Another brutal crack of lightning shakes the high-rise.

“Ahhh!”

“Shh, easy now. Everything is fine,” he reassures me, his voice steady and calming. “The emergency lights should kick in soon.”

Did I make a noise? I’m not even sure now, or what it was.

Gentle fingertips clasp my forearm then follow the length to wrap around my stiff fingers. He turns my hand over and pulls at my fingers, making me release my death grip on the mouse. Something I hadn’t been aware of.

I’m moving. Is it the building? The chair? Pain explodes in my head as my knee smacks into the corner of my desk. It’s enough to break the hold of incapacitating fear.

I push my chair back, but it won’t budge. “What’s happening,” I exclaim, my voice quivering. “I can’t move.”

“Let’s see what I can do.” He tugs on my chair, but it doesn’t move. “Here.” He leans down. His arm brushes against my breast in the dark. There’s a loud crack as he wrenches the two sections of the desk apart, then thescrapeof wood on carpet signals I’m free. I lurch upright on unsteady legs, swaying into him for support I don’t want to need but desperately do.

“I-I’m fine, really.” I slide my hand around and he tightens his grasp. “I just have to…I-I…”

“Come on. We’ll get you out to the hallway.” Derrick pulls me closer, his warmth seeping through me as he leads me around the corner of the desk. Even though I know I only have to walk a few paces forward, in a straight line, to get to the door, I need his guidance.

I nearly stumble over my own feet. Derrick’s solid grip keeps me upright. “Careful now, we’re almost there. Small steps.”

My heart slams against my chest as I take one heavy step after another. My conscience weighs on me, an anchor I’m dragging along. My Firefly flash drive is plugged into my computer tower. If the lights turn on, he’ll see it.

What I’m doing is strictly prohibited. All company information should stay on-site unless you’re one of the field leads, a company employee, and that’s only because they’re not working from the Houston office. If I get caught, I’ll be fired on the spot. It won’t matter that I’m doing this for Mr. Kelly.

Chapter 10

Derrick

Nicole is nearly comatose with fear, barely responding as I guide her along. I need to get us somewhere safe until the power returns.

Fumbling in the dark, I dig my phone out from the back pocket of my jeans. Once I have it in my hand, I angle the screen away from my face. I don’t want to risk the power coming on and having Nicole see I’ve been watching her through her camera.

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