“No red flags?” Gwen asked. “None of the guys are suspicious?”
“Not Elvis,” Basia said.
“All clear with Hands,” Gray added.
“I don’t have a significant other, so I’m ready to go,” Barbie said.
“We’re all good then.” I closed my laptop, the screen going dark. “Let’s keep it that way. I think it’s time for a scenic drive.”
We exchanged looks, quiet, determined. On that note, we headed out, calm on the surface and focused underneath. We were more than ready to see Tango Bio Research Solutions up close for ourselves.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lexi
The drive north to the lab was quiet because we were all thinking the same dangerous thing while pretending we weren’t. Gwen didn’t even insist on playing her music, which I was exceptionally grateful for.
Sunday morning traffic thinned as Atlantic City fell behind us and the roads narrowed into long stretches of pine forest and scrub. Barbie rode in the back seat, sandwiched between me and Gwen. Her arms folded across her stomach and her sunglasses were still on despite the gray sky.
“You’ll want to park off the access road,” she said at last.
“Am I close?” Gray asked.
“Yes,” Barbie replied, leaning forward in the seat and pointing. “Stay alert. It’s right there.”
Gray spotted it and turned, driving a little way before slowing and pulling into an empty gravel lot marked by a weathered hiking sign. It was a good place to leave the car, since it would permit us to park and not be visible from the main road. And, if anyone did spot us, they would likely assume we were just hikers. Since the trail ran around the back of the lab, we could follow it for easy movement.
When we stepped out of the car, the wind hit us hard, cold, and sharp. November brutal. I immediately zipped my jacket to my chin and adjusted my laptop bag over my shoulder.
Basia wrapped her arms around herself and turned around and got back in the car. “Nope. I’m staying here.”
“Wise decision. It’s a good idea to have someone stay with the car anyway,” I said.
Gray got back in the car and restarted it. She handed the fob to Basia, who dropped it in the cup holder. Teeth chattering, Basia held her hands out in front of the blowing heater. “Thanks, Gray.”
“Keep a window cracked,” Gray instructed. “Doors locked and heater on. If anything feels weird, leave immediately and call the authorities.”
Basia raised an eyebrow. “Copy that. I promise to stay warm, aerated, and judgmental.”
I snorted before I could stop myself. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one thinking Gray had started to talk and act like a bit like Hands.
“Very funny,” Gray said, but I saw a smile cross her face. She didn’t seem to mind.
We left Basia and the car and headed down the trail. Barbie walked beside me. “So, what’s the laptop for again?” she asked, motioning to my bag.
“I’m going to observe their security system via their Wi-Fi and hopefully determine how easy it might be to get access to their internal network.”
We continued down the trail, pine needles crunching underfoot. A few minutes later, there was a break in the trees, and we were able to spot the lab about fifty yards away.
As the satellite view had shown me, it was a rectangular, two-story building with broad windows along the front and sides. Dark siding and nondescript. But security looked tight. From the front right of the building, I saw a chain-link fence topped with looping barbed wire that surrounded the perimeter. Security cameras were positioned at the visible corners to monitor the fence line and interior yard.
I followed the fence line with my eyes and spotted the electronic gate near the parking lot. It was industrial, reinforced, and the kind that clicked and locked tight. The same kind of gate Ginger must have slipped through the day she found us. The fence had several NO TRESPASSING signs on it.
“Let’s get a look at the back,” I said.
We moved farther along the trail before my breath caught. Behind the building stretched a wide grassy area, fenced separately from the outer perimeter. An obstacle course with ramps, tunnels, and raised platforms dotted the field. A dog run sat off to one side, enclosed and muddy from use. Metal bowls glinted in the weak sunlight trying to penetrate the gray.
We left the trail and kept to the shadow of the trees, getting close enough to let me tap into the lab Wi-Fi.
