Page 84 of Fight or Flight
“I really just did that.” He shakes his head and pulls the card out of his pocket. “Like, Ireallyjust did that.”
“You did,” I tell him as he hands me the card. “Good job. That was slick as hell.”
“I’m literally shaking.” He holds up his hand to show me it’s trembling. “That was a fucking rush. Now I know why you and Jax like doing this kind of shit.”
“It definitely gets the blood pumping.”
“Am I too excited? Is it weird that I’m so… I don’t even know what I am.”
“It’s not weird, and you’re fine,” I assure him. “That first taste of a felony is extra sweet if you ask me.”
“This definitely isn’t my first felony,” he laughs. “But it’s the first in a long ass time.”
“You good to go back?” I ask. “Jax will be getting into position soon, and it’s best if we get this over with before Benny boy realizes there’s a blank ID card in his back pocket.”
“Yeah.” He wipes his hands on his pants. “I’m good.”
“Do you remember the rest of the plan?”
“Keep Ben and the other leaders in my sight, watch for anything out of the ordinary, and let you know if they leave or things get weird.”
“Right. And?”
“And…don’t fuck up?”
“That too.” I grin. “But I was thinking more along the lines of act natural and remember that I’ll be able to see you when I tap into the security cams, so you won’t be alone even when I’m not around. Got it?”
He nods. “Got it.”
“Good. Now get out there and make me proud.”
He rolls his eyes, but he’s grinning as he slips out of the bathroom.
14
JACE
I wait for about a minute,then slip out into the hall and immediately duck behind one of the many pillars in the building.
I know where every camera is, what area they cover, and where their weaknesses are, and after checking to make sure the coast is clear, I follow the narrow path where there’s no camera coverage, timing my movements to avoid the motion activated ones, and the ones that sweep and don’t just sit stationary, as I carefully make my way down the hall.
When I finally reach my target, a small closet with no cameras directed at it despite it being a major security weakness, I pull out the cigarette case and fish out the lock picks I stashed in there.
The lock is ridiculously easy to crack, and I get the door open in about ten seconds.
Instead of turning the overhead light on, I pull a penlight out of the hidden pocket in my pants and click it on. One side of the small space has a wall of shelves against it that’s stacked high cleaning supplies, and the other side has brooms, mops, and vacuums neatly lining it.
Bypassing everything in the room, I go straight to the back corner and run my hand across the underside of one of the shelves until I find the release button to pop open the hidden door behind the section of shelves.
Being careful not to knock any of the items off it, I pull the door open enough so I can slip into the tight corridor behind it, then gently close it behind me.
The corridor is more of a passageway that’s seen better days. It’s dusty and full of cobwebs and the air is stale as fuck, but I ignore all that and follow the many twists and turns as I head toward the back of the house.
I’ve only explored a small portion of the corridor in the few times I’ve had a chance to snoop around in King House over the years, but from what I’ve seen on the floor plans, the corridor snakes through the entire first floor, and most of the rooms have a hidden entrance to it. I have no clue how often it’s used, if ever, but based on how neglected the space is, it’s unlikely that any of the current members use it.
When I finally reach my destination, I feel around until I find the door catch release and give it a little tug. A section of the wall just big enough to crawl through pops out, leading me into a small pantry.
Instead of closing the section completely, I leave it cracked open and carefully slip out of the pantry and into the staff kitchen.
