Page 29 of Ignite: Tony's Story
Mara clears her throat, smoothing down the skirt of her smart suit. “Are you ready to go?”
Nodding, I hop up, grabbing some water bottles and a couple of snacks. It’s a short drive to get to the warehouse, but I have a feeling she’ll want a snack.
Just as we’re walking out, Tony behind us giving us last-minute instructions and begging us to be safe, he bends to whisper in my ear.
“Next time you should join us instead of just peeping and I can give you the same treatment.”
And that’s how I leave to infiltrate a corrupt medical lab run by dangerous criminals - with a massive raging boner.
Mara
“Testing.”
“All clear, Mara. You’re ready. Be safe in there, in and out as quickly as possible.” I should be afraid of what I’m about to do, but Tony’s words distract me and I blush instead, remembering the similar words he used earlier before he had me bent over a dresser. Hopefully, it’s not too noticeable.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. Do you have an appointment?” The guard asks as I roll up to the security gate.
Giving him my most innocent grin, I answer politely, putting on a slight southern drawl. “No sir, my name is Mara Darcy. I’m here for an impromptu OSHA inspection.” I drop my voice, looking at him knowingly. “I’m pretty sure Mr. Adley is expecting me, though.”
It surprised us to find OSHA inspections in the files, but quickly realized that they were falsified. BioCere clearly has people in every facet of the government. It looked as though they were going to be due for their next inspection soon, and although I highly doubt an Occupational Safety and Health Administration worker has ever stepped foot in the building, I saw an opening to get in.
“One moment, ma’am,” the security guard says, using his radio to check in. I keep my face relaxed and try to coax my heartbeat to calm so I can breathe normally. Tony will make sure they let me in and don’t ask questions.
“All clear,” comes Tony’s voice through the tiny earpiece. We’re testing out as many of the methods that Six and the guys will use when they come through here tomorrow night. Getting in and out through security is crucial.
“Alright ma’am, you’re clear to enter. Park on the right side in the visitor’s section and they’ll check you in at the front desk.” He gestures me through the rising gates with a friendly smile.
“Thank you so much, Randy,” I say, checking out the name on his badge. I wonder if all the employees know what goes on here. At least the people working the perimeter might not know, possibly.
Parking in the very back of the designated visitor spots, I shut off the car. There’s an extra key fob sitting on the center console. I open the backdoor to retrieve my bag, unlocking and opening the seats for trunk access. Quinn pushes up on the panel that he’s hidden under in the trunk, winking at me to let me know he’s good. Closing the door, I walk away without looking back, in case anyone is watching. Thanks to Tony, I don’t have to worry about security cameras.
As if on cue, a security camera moves, following me as I walk through the front doors. This place looks like trash on the outside, but everything inside is obviously state-of-the art.
“Ms. Darcy, welcome.” A woman in a white coat meets me in the reception ahead, allowing me to bypass the metal detectors. This is good and bad, because I definitely have some heavy hardware on me, but also we wanted to test if Tony could control the detection.
“Hi, Dr. Jacobs I presume?” I did my research before coming here, and I hoped that my timing would be right to catch her. She doesn’t seem as sharp as the other employees and has made some dumb mistakes in the past, according to her file.
“That’s me,” she says, shaking my hand. “I’ll be honest with you. We weren’t expecting your visit today.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be an impromptu inspection if it were planned, but don’t worry, you’re in good hands. I’ve worked with Mr. Adley before.” I give her a conspiratorial wink. Her shoulders drop, clearly thankful that she’s not going to have any trouble.
She gestures towards a set of thick metal double doors, and I follow her through them into the main building. We walk through a labyrinth of sterile hallways, flanked by rooms with frosted glass walls and doorways. Maybe it’s my imagination after watching the horrific videos of Bennet being tortured, but I think I hear the crackle of electricity and a grunt of pain as we walk by one room. Walking past another, I think I hear the distinctive sound of a flat-lining heart monitor. Some people in scrubs and white coats rush past us, discussing if they should induce or try another plasma treatment.
We walk into an empty lab and she stands against the doorway, clearly expecting me to do my inspection.
Covering for myself, I give her a gentle smile and raise my brow. “Dr. Jacobs, we both know I don’t need to see any of this. I just need a few quick signatures from Mr. Adley.”
“Oh,” she says, blushing at her perceived blunder. “Well, Mr. Adley is away currently, you just missed him.”
“What about his receptionist? What was their name…” I pretend to look in my file. I know he doesn’t actually have a personal receptionist on site, just an office administrator for the lab itself, but I need to get back to his office.
“You’re probably thinking of Greg. Follow me. I’ll take you back to the admin offices.” She seems relaxed, probably glad that I’m not asking to poke around in any of these sketchy labs.
Following her out, I place a small device on the underside of the lab table, set in the middle of the room. I keep having flashes of the terrible things I saw done to Bennet’s girlfriend, and Bennet himself, and I wonder which labs they happened in as I walk by each one.
“Do you mind?” I say, stopping Dr. Jacobs when we’re about halfway through the building, according to my memory of the layout.
Not waiting for her to answer or give me permission, I duck inside another lab where a patient is resting. My pretend curiosity morphs into concern. The patient, a pretty woman with pale skin, her blonde hair shaved close to the scalp, lays there with more electrodes and wires coming out of her than I can count. There are monitors everywhere, all kinds of data that I honestly don’t understand.
