Page 96 of The Last Morgan
Lucy’s eyebrows rose. "Level 10?"
"Yeah," Barnaby said. "Problem is, the normal system only goes up to Level 9. I’ve never even heard of Level 10."
"Neither have I," Corey added.
Lucy chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment, then grabbed her phone and texted David.
'Need to talk — critical security clearance issue. Urgent.’
David’s reply came fast:
‘Give me 20 minutes.’
While they waited, they started plotting.
"Alright," Corey said, stepping forward. "Let’s say we get into the building — what’s the plan?"
Barnaby shrugged. "Lucy owns it, so she can legally shut off the cameras and alarms. I can shut off internal systems remotely, once we're inside."
Lucy nodded, mind already racing ahead. "Then let’s move before sunrise. Get in, find what we need, get out before any of the staff arrive."
A knock at the door broke their conversation. David stepped in, looking slightly out of breath.
"You look like hell," Corey said, smirking.
David rolled his eyes. "Long night. What’s this about?"
Barnaby spun the laptop to him. David leaned in, frowning.
"Auxiliary Space B?" he muttered. "Level 10 clearance?"
He straightened, shaking his head slowly. "I’ve worked in security at Morgan Group for almost a decade. Level 9 was the highest clearance. Executives, directors... Level 10 doesn’t exist. Not on the books anyway."
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "So, it’s a ghost clearance?."
Corey added. "Something your parents buried so deep no one else could touch it."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Lucy stood slowly. "Then we have no choice. We’re going in."
Morning broke dark and early
The convoy of sleek, dark vehicles snaked its way through the early morning mist, headlights cutting through the fading gloom. Lucy sat quietly in the backseat, her fingers drumming lightly against her thigh. The villa’s briefing replayed in her mind — the blueprint, the secret auxiliary room, the hidden safe that could unlock the truth of everything.
Byron sat beside her, silent but alert, his hand occasionally brushing against hers on the seat between them. It was a small thing, but grounding.
Ahead of them, Corey led the way, flanked by Damien and a few of the Doves. Barnaby was bouncing around excitedly in the backseat of the second car, laptop open on his knees, already trying to hack into the security systems again to make sure no unexpected alarms were tripped.
"Remember," Corey’s voice crackled through the comms. "David’s got the building on a skeleton staff this morning. Cameras are disabled; security is down. We’re good, but not invisible. Move quick."
Lucy nodded, even though no one could see her.
They pulled into the underground car park of the Morgan Group building, everything was eerily quiet at this hour. The heavy metal shutters clanged shut behind them, sealing them in.
"Let’s move," Corey ordered.
They moved as one, practiced and sharp, like a unit that had been doing this for years.
