Page 70 of Lost Hope

“Doing great,” Ronan’s voice was warm in her earpiece. “Maintenance cart heading this way—hold the elevator on two until it passes.”

She jabbed the ‘door closed’ button as the elevator settled. The squeak of wheels passed, then faded.

“Clear,” Austin confirmed. “Kenji, Christian—you’ve got eyes on both stairwells?”

“Locked down,” Christian replied. “We’ve got your exit routes covered, Maya.”

She stepped out, hearing the soft buzz of voices from the labs down the hall. Real techs, doing real work. Her pulse quickened.

“Left at the water fountain,” Kenji directed. “Records room is third door.”

She rounded the corner and nearly collided with a man in a lab coat. Her heart stopped.

“Oh! Sorry!” She fumbled her phone, letting it clatter to the floor. “I’m so sorry. I’m new, covering for Jessica, and I’m completely turned around ...”

The man barely glanced at her, stepping around with a distracted, “No problem.”

“Nice recovery,” Ronan said softly in her ear. “You’re doing fine.”

She retrieved her phone with shaking hands, the badge swinging against her chest. Twenty more feet to the records room. Nineteen. Eighteen ...

Maya swiped her badge at the records room door, her heart stuttering until the lock clicked open. She slipped inside, into cool darkness broken only by the glow of computer monitors.

“I’m in,” she whispered. “Now what?”

The room smelled of paper and electronics. Rows of filing cabinets stretched into shadows. A desk near the door offered a clear view of the entrance. Maya slid into the chair, trying not to think about whose workspace she was invading.

“Plug in the USB,” Ethan directed. “It’ll auto-launch and copy their database structure. Look for anything dated in the last three months.”

Maya’s fingers trembled as she inserted the drive. The screen flickered, lines of code scrolling past.

“Lab tech heading your way.” Christian warned in her ear.

“Hide the USB,” Ronan ordered. “Look busy.”

Maya minimized the window of the copying program and pulled up a random file just as footsteps approached. They continued on down the hallway. She let out a shaky breath.

“Transfer at twenty percent,” Ethan reported. “Keep an eye on that door.”

“Guys,” Austin cut in, “McClelland just pulled into the parking lot.”

Maya’s stomach dropped. In her ear, she heard Ronan curse softly.

“McClelland’s taking the east elevator,” Austin reported.

“Time for plan B.” Christian’s voice was steady. “Kenji?”

“On it. Maya, you’ll hear a code blue announcement. That’s your cue to get out.”

“Transfer at sixty percent,” Star said. “We need three more minutes.”

A minute later, the man himself strode into view, white coat billowing around his thighs as he strode down the hallway. Head down, he eyed the tablet in his hand, frowning.

Maya’s mouth went dry as she watched him approach. No reason he’d head into the room. She had to stay calm. She forced herself to breathe normally, to look busy but not suspicious. After all, she was supposed to be in the building—just another lab tech covering a shift. If he entered, she’d plead ignorance. Wasn’t this Jessica’s station?

He had no way of knowing what was on her screen, no reason to question her presence. Still, her pulse thundered inher ears as his footsteps drew closer. Suddenly, alarms blared. “Code Blue, Lab Three! Code Blue, Lab Three!”

McClelland’s head snapped up. He hesitated, then hurried onward, toward the labs on the far side of the floor. Maya watched him disappear around the corner.

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