Page 115 of Stuart Woods' Golden Hour

“Think of it this way: if we get caught, they’ll start looking for whoever helped us bypass their security, and the first place they’ll look is this room. So it’s in your best interest to stay on top of things.”

“Are you trying to stress me out?”

“I’m trying to make you understand the gravity of the situation.”

“You know,” Kevin said, “now that I’m in their system, I could do everything from across the street.”

“The more times we go in and out of the building also increases the chance of something going wrong. Don’t worry. We’ll pick you up on the way out.”

“Can we go now?” Vesna asked. “Or does he need more hand-holding?”

“Knock, knock,” Teddy whispered. Heand Vesna had just taken the emergency stairwell to the top and were now standing at the door to the twelfth floor.

The lock clicked and Kevin said over the comm, “You’re clear.”

Teddy opened the door, and he and Vesna stepped quietly into a long hallway.

They were operating under the assumption that Felix Braun kept data concerning BLS special projects clients either on an unnetworked device or written on a piece of paper, such as in a notebook, in his twelfth-floor office.

“Go left,” Kevin said. “Then right at the next corridor.”

“How many other people on this level?” Teddy asked.

“Three. One in an office nowhere near where you’ll be, and two guards at a desk by the elevators.”

“Copy.”

Kevin guided them to Braun’s office.

“Don’t touch the door,” Kevin warned. “It’s locked and alarmed. I’ll give you the go-ahead once I have it open.”

Kevin had yet to get back to them when Teddy heard a door open somewhere else on the floor, but far too close for his liking.

In a low voice, he said, “Kevin, check the cams.”

“What?” Kevin paused, then said, “Oh, shit. One of the guards is heading your way.”

“Remember what I said about being our eyes?”

“Right. Sorry. Give me a sec.”

Teddy could hear the guard moving down a nearby hallway in his and Vesna’s direction.

She looked at him and mouthed,What do you want to do?

They’d come prepared to run into trouble like this. In Teddy’s pocket was a preloaded syringe that would knock someone out and mess with their short-term memory, and a bottle of additional medication if they were facing more than one problem. Teddy was reaching into the pocket where he’d stored it when the lock to Braun’s office clicked.

“Go!” Kevin said.

Teddy eased opened the door and followed Vesna into Braun’s office. They stilled just inside, listening to the footsteps in the hallway draw nearer.

Teddy half expected the guard to stop right outside and yank the door open. But he continued on without pausing, his steps soon fading to nothing.

“He’s gone,” Kevin said a few moments later. “Um, sorry again about not seeing him before.”

“Just try not to let it happen again,” Teddy said. He glanced at Vesna. “Where do you want to start?”

She looked around. “I’ll take the bookcases.”

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