Page 36 of Captured Pawn
“Hold on. I think I know what we’re up against here.”
“That makes one of us,” he groused, growing agitated that things were not as he’d planned.
“Do you have that tablet Stevie gave you?” I asked.
“Yeah, but that controls the cameras, not…”
I held out my hand. “They upgraded the system since Matty installed it. If I’m not mistaken, this is a Magnum Vaultek. I’ve only seen them through their marketing videos. None of my normal customers would be able to afford something like this,” I said, a bit in awe.
“I don’t see what you’re talking about. There’s literally nothing here,” Nick argued, glancing at the blank wall.
I looked up into his eyes. “You brought me for a reason. Trust me. Hand me the iPad.”
He held the tablet out to me, and I swiped it open, quickly logging into my private network while using the Bishops’ secure Wi-Fi through the iPad, linking the two networks.
I’d downloaded an illicit software package months ago that I’d never had the time to play with. One of my brilliant friends from college had developed code that was for all intents and purposes used for hacking encrypted networks. Until my brother died, and I’d met Nick Knight, I never thought I’d ever have use for the program.
But I’d been wrong—tonight I needed it very much.
Once I got connected and gained access to my files, I went to work, modifying my friend’s code to fit my current dilemma. My fingers flew across the screen, yet I could sense Nick’s growing impatience. He paced the small room like a caged animal until I finally pressedEnter, letting the program go to work decoding the safe’s software.
Pages of encrypted code flew by in a flurry. As I waited to see if it was going to work, I thought back to the many classes I’d taken in college—team projects where we’d have to do very similar tasks. Back then the only thing riding on my skills were grades. Tonight, I knew there were more important things on the line.
The ding from the tablet drew my attention back to my current project. The program had halted on a plain-looking confirmation page. Could it really be that easy?
Knowing we were running out of time, I held my breath and tappedEnter. Within three seconds, the far wall of the room across from the door we’d entered through started to slide open, revealing the Magnum Vaultek 5000.
“Holy shit,” Nick exclaimed out loud.
I’d been thinking the same thing.
The safe literally took up the entire far wall. The shelves that were open held dozens of weapons and ammunitions, not unlike the stash that was at Nick’s house. But what stood out to me were the dozens of drawers and locker-like cabinets, each with their own additional lock for good measure.
“It could take me hours to get all of these open,” I observed with dread. “Are there any compartments that look too small to fit the items you’re retrieving?” I blurted.
Nick paced back and forth, taking stock of the dozens of locked compartments before motioning to a few tiny drawers.
“Save these for last. I think they’re too small.”
I got to work on the remaining compartments. Unlike the master door, these drawers had a traditional dial combination for individual security, although if my memory served me, there was also a master override command that could force open all of the compartments at once.
The first drawer I got unlocked contained high-end jewelry—diamonds, emeralds, and rubies set in all kinds of unique necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.
Not what we were looking for.
I moved on, taking another three minutes to open the next locked drawer, and finding what looked like a rare coin collection.
I’d just started opening the third drawer when Nick said what I was already thinking. “This is gonna take too long. Even though you’re making quick work of each drawer, there are fourteen left. It’ll take longer than we have.”
Tears of frustration clouded my vision. I swished them away with my gloved fingers. I don’t have time to fall apart now. I need to think.
“Hand me the iPad again,” I barked. Nick complied right away.
My legs had started to feel wobbly under me, so I took a few steps back to the couch and plopped down. Laying the tablet across my knees, I went to work modifying the encryption program again. With each second that passed, my heart rate sped up, knowing how much danger was added by each minute we spent inside the Bishop estate.
Nick’s pacing like a caged animal was back and only making me more nervous.
“Can you please sit down? You’re making it harder for me to concentrate,” I complained.
