“Sorry,” Nix says, his eyes locking with mine. “I came here for business tonight, but you distracted me.”
I arch my brows and give him a look. “I did no such thing.”
“Don’t bullshit me. That dress?”
“You didn’t have to look.”
He leans closer, his breath warm against my lips. “Yeah, I did, and I had to touch, too. And if this meeting wasn’t really important, I would’ve said fuck it.”
“Better get to it. Grayson’s impatient.”
“He’s a fucking hothead.” Nix brushes a lock of blue hair away from my face. “Will you be here when I’m done?”
Though I want to nod eagerly, I shrug. “Maybe.”
His gaze is so intense it leaves me breathless. “Meet me at the bar upstairs.”
“I’ll be there.”
He gives me a quick, soft kiss and then leaves. My heart is still pounding hard, and it starts to sink in how careless I was just now. If Grayson hadn’t come in, I would have been fucking Nix at this moment, unaware of everything else around me.
My plan to come into this night with a renewed focus on my work has been a big fail so far. I take a deep breath and get my bearings, which only seems possible when Nix isn’t within reach.
This is an opportunity. Grayson is usually watching everyone down here, and I know for sure he’s on the club’s upper level for at least the next few minutes. That means I can possibly access the vault.
The Loft was built on the site of a former downtown New York bank. It wasn’t just any bank, but one of the largest in the country when it was opened in the 1930s. Jewels, rare art, and other priceless treasures have been stored in the vault, which is only accessible through the basement.
When Rae briefed me on my assignment at the Loft, she told me no agent has ever made it into the vault. Just getting a look inside, and maybe some photos, would be a great find for Greenlight.
Lessons from my academy instructors ring in my head as I make my way to the vault. I’m here to be the eyes and ears of the agency, bringing back intelligence information that may not seem valuable on its face. But my fellow agents are doing the same work, and sometimes it takes adding all the pieces of a puzzle together to see the picture clearly.
The hallway that leads to the vault isn’t being guarded right now. This opening is perfect.
I walk to the end of the hallway and try the old-fashioned wheel-shaped handle of the vault. It doesn’t open the door, which isn’t surprising. To the right of the door is an electronic keypad. I use the camera built into a bracelet I’m wearing to snap several photos of the keypad, door, and handle.
Damn. I really wanted to get into the vault, but it’s not happening. At least, not right now.
I turn and check out the rest of the hallway. There are three other doors, all closed.
My heels click on the dark concrete floor as I walk toward the first door. I can’t walk softly because I have to look like I belong here. Sneaking around without looking sneaky, if you will.
That was the hardest thing for me to learn at the academy. It’s hard to project nerves of steel when you could be busted at any moment.
I grab the handle of the first door and try to turn it, but it won’t budge. It’s the only door on that side of the hallway and there are two on the other side, so this door must lead into a large room.
My heartbeat is surprisingly regular as I move to the other side of the hall and try a door. It turns, and my pulse kicks up a notch. There could be people in here, and I don’t have a weapon.
But I don’t have time to second-guess. I step inside the room, which is dark, and flip a switch on the side of the wall. Light fills the room, and I snap photos as I take in my surroundings.
It seems to be some sort of storage room. There are crates lined up on metal shelves along three walls. A tarp covers something sitting in the middle of the room.
I go to the tarp first, pulling it aside. There are two wood pallets stacked with bricks of cocaine. The street value of this much coke is staggering.
Grayson’s got balls, keeping this here instead of at a storage house. The club could get seized if the Feds bust him for this.
I snap photos and replace the tarp so it looks just like it did when I walked in, then walk over to the crates.
They’re nailed shut, which is a shitty break. But there’s a crowbar nearby, so I use it to work a corner of one crate up. I’m slow and careful because I can’t risk any damage to the crate.
