Page 46 of Love Fire

She squints her eyes and looks over at the box. She puts her arms across her chest. Brent doesn’t blink.

“It doesn’t say who sent it though.”

Brent shrugs. “I just make deliveries, ma’am. I read the label and take them there.”

The girl looks at the box then at Brent twice. Then, she blows out air, exasperated. She takes out a random paper and pen.

“Sign this for me, please.”

I roll my eyes. Not even the regular receptionist is as strict. I don’t know what the hell she’s trying to do.

I speak on the mic. “Brent, don’t use your real name.”

He mumbles back. “I got it.”

He scribbles on the paper then hands it back to her with a smile. She looks at it briefly before shoving it in a random drawer. I sigh deeply.

“Can I go in now? I have a lot of stops today.”

She waves him through. “Go ahead. Don’t take too long.”

My heart’s pounding. Everything’s going smoothly. It’s not time to freak out.

The security guard approaches Brent. A routine pat down and he’s ready to go. Then my heart drops.

“Put the box on the conveyor belt and walk through the detectors. Arms extended,” he instructs.

I completely forgot about the metal detectors.

“Where? Here?”

“Yes. Now walk through.”

I’m so stupid. I hold my breath. What if they sense a microphone?

39

BRENT

Iplace my things on top of the box. The guard pushes a button to start up the conveyor belt. He makes a waving motion for me to walk through the detectors.

My heart stops as the machine makes noises and light’s come out. I look for an exit strategy in case I’m caught. It stops suddenly.

The guard gives me the clear with a wave of his hand. I sigh in relief. Erin must’ve been freaking out too. I heard a little gasp when the word “detectors” were mentioned.

I take the box and head to the fifth floor.

“Take the elevator, not the stairs,” Erin orders.

“I know. Can you just let me do the job?”

“Do it faster.”

I get to the floor after a smooth ride up. As I walk through the halls, I take in the look of this place. It’s incredibly lavish and luxurious. Even more lavish than the outside.

The black floors shine. The mahogany doors shine. Almost everything is lined with gold, too. I guess that’s a signature style for a cartel boss.

Now, onto looking for a very specific room: Hank’s office. Torres is too smart to keep any information here. But Hank? Not the brightest of the bulb as Erin says.

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