Page 102 of Shadow Operative

Gage swallowed hard, trying to forget the look in Nia’s eyes and focus on the task at hand.

He spotted a panel at the back of the closet, one that blended in nicely with the woodwork. He used his thumb to slide the panel up.

A keypad appeared.

So far what Cormac had told them was correct. Gage prayed Nia was wrong and that Cormac wasn’t trying in some way to set them up.

His jaw remained tight as he punched in the code and waited.

Two seconds later, he heard a click.

The code had worked.

A handle emerged from the wall.

Gage gripped it and slowly opened the door.

His throat suddenly went dry. This was it. The moment he could discover what all this was really about.

He shone his light along the wall and saw a switch. He flipped it, knowing that any light in this room would be concealed.

A small office came into view.

A desk stretched against the back wall with three computer monitors. A wood-topped table in the center of this space contained various handheld devices like phones and tablets. There were also wires, a headset, and some SIM cards.

Against the left wall was what appeared to be a drafting table that had been turned flat. Papers were scattered across it.

“It looks like a mad scientist worked in here,” Nia murmured as she scanned the place.

“It does. This must be where Rob escaped when he needed some privacy. He was always paranoid people would steal his ideas.”

“Intellectual property is something creators hold close to their vest. I can understand how he was protective of his ideas.”

“So what exactly was he working on here?” Gage paced the perimeter of the small room. “Was it something that got him killed?”

Nia stepped farther inside and did another visual sweep of the place. “Good question. I’m not sure. I did mention something to him about his next project. I asked him when it might be ready so we could help him with the distribution of it.”

“What did he say?” Gage studied Nia’s face.

“He said he was working on something he thought had potential.”

“What if that potential idea is what this is all about? I know Rob made millions with the Water Splat game. And I know he was excited about this new relaxation app he’d developed. If someone thought Rob had an idea for the next biggest thing, it might be worth killing over. But maybe they didn’t anticipate the security measures he’d put in place.”

Nia rubbed her arms and frowned. “I think you’re right. It very well could have something to do with these apps he’s been developing. If someone saw a payday . . .”

The two of them exchanged a look, knowing they were on to something.

Then Gage heard a click.

He froze.

He wasn’t hearing things, he realized. His senses were trained to pick up on these things.

Someone else was in this apartment with them.

chapter

fifty

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