Jason cupped his ear, pretending not to understand. He could feign confusion for only so long though—Goatee Guard would get suspicious in another few seconds.
Allie started thinking through plan B just in case.
Thankfully, the front door of the warehouse opened again, and guard number two joined the party.
Jason took his cue and finally communicated that he understood the guards wanted him to turn off the speaker. Henodded and opened a music app on his phone. But instead of turning off Allie's speaker, he turned on the second Bluetooth speaker—blastingJailhouse Rockat the same ear-piercing decibel level.
Allie took her time pretending to help Jason figure out how to turn off the speakers while the guards yelled at them. Their comments likely weren't very polite, but she couldn't hear a word over the dueling speakers.
Phase two was going well.
Good luck, Knox.
When Knox heardJailhouse Rock, he grinned and used his crowbar to pop open the window on the west side of the warehouse. As he suspected, when he jarred it loose, the glass cracked. But the blaring cacophony near the front doors covered any sounds he made opening the window, even when a pane of glass hit the concrete floor of the warehouse.
He raised the window, slipped inside, and shut it behind him.
The warehouse was mostly empty and quiet, unlike the racket in the parking lot. He pulled out his cell phone and started recording everything he saw. Opening every door, he found two rooms with couches, one bathroom, an office, and a closet. It was the closet that kept his attention—or rather, the disturbing contents of the closet.
Knowing the diversion out front only had a few more guaranteed seconds, he hurried to the office, copied as much information as possible, and darted back to the window.
A second too late.
Both speakers went silent.
He needed to hurry. Quietly.
He nudged the window, but it was stuck. Not locked, but jammed. Apparently, when he broke the window, hereallybroke it—or didn't break it enough. Because now he wasn't sure how to get back out without breaking the glass at the top. Which would make a lot of noise.
He laser-focused on the window and his options for escape, which was why he didn't immediately notice motion in his peripheral vision—until whatever it was caused his heart to jump into his throat.
A figure appeared outside the window. His hand flew to his gun, holstered in the small of his back—until he realized it was Allie.
His relief craved a deep breath, but there wasn't time. He pointed to the bottom of the window, hoping she could work it loose from her side.
She nodded and pushed on the window a few times, constantly eyeing the front of the building. Finally, it gave way, and she shoved it open.
At the same moment, Jason's voice drifted close. Way too close. "Oh, man, that's nice of you guys, but I can put the speakers into the truck. You don't need to help."
He heard their shoes crunching on the gravel. Jason and both guards were walking around the side of the truck. In about three seconds, they would have a clear view of Allie holding open the window.
Knox didn't think. No time. He clamped his hands on her waist and yanked her through the open window. The window fell back into place, but it barely made a sound.
He'd pulled her through so quickly he lost his balance, and they both hit the ground. "Are you okay?" he whispered.
"Yeah. Now, what?"
He peeked out the window, hoping Jason had found a way to distract the guards long enough for Allie and him to escape intothe back of the truck. All hope evaporated when he saw Jason moving the balloons away from the camera and wrangling them into the truck.
The guards offered a few departing comments as Jason climbed into the driver's seat. Why weren't they wondering where Allie was? One of the guards said something that made the second guard laugh. Then they waved Jason on toward the parking lot exit.
Adrenaline surged through Knox's limbs. "We need to hide. Now. Jason will get us out later." He scanned the area. "Follow me." He darted to a staircase. "Up here. Fast. Go!"
Allie flew up the steps with Knox on her heels. The second level consisted of an open loft area and one enclosed room with windows overlooking the first floor. Knox opened the door to the room just as the guards' voices entered the warehouse.
He pressed his hand on the small of Allie's back and slowly, silently, guided her into the room. Once inside, they both lowered themselves to a seated position on the floor, out of view of the windows. Knox heard muffled voices, then a door shut.
"They're not looking for us," he whispered. "You okay?"
