“What of his relatives?”
“They’re untouchable. Trust me, I tried getting close enough.”
Becker huffs, displeased. “Is he still in Seattle?”
“I haven’t had visual confirmation of it for a few weeks now, so I’m not sure.”
“It’s been months, Horvat. Are you even trying?” Becker bitterly demands.
“I’m doing my best, boss. The man knows how to cover his tracks. There’s also the bounty going on, so someone else might end up doing the job for us.”
“I can’t believe I’m three million dollars deep into this, and that man still isn’t dead.”
“I told you bribing the judge and prosecutor wouldn’t work. You should have let me kill him while he was awaiting trial.”
“And raise suspicions? Coleman was supposed to take the plea deal and die in prison, as intended. I spent a lot of money making that ten-year deal appealing.”
I’m stunned, completely and utterly shocked. Becker was on Lex for even longer than we thought. He tampered with the trial, bribed people to make sure Lex would never be free again.
What the fuck …
It wasn’t my heist that set him off. He was after Lex the whole time. As soon as Becker heard he might be Nammota, he got to work to ensure Lex wouldn’t survive the process.
They talk about Lex for a few more minutes, then the conversation returns to the “butterflies” Becker mentioned earlier. This Friday evening, some shit is going down. I suspected that Becker’s gathering on Friday would be one of his off-camera parties, and this conversation confirms it.
I hold my breath when I hear one of them pass close to the door. Fuck, I wish I had my phone so I could send Lex all that information, in case I don’t make it. But Mrs. Reed is extremely strict about that and searches the maids before every shift.
What feels like hours pass, even though it must be ten minutes or less, and the two men leave the room. I fall to my knees with gratitude, feeling like I can breathe again. My chest is still tight and aching, but it slowly improves as the tension leaves my body.
Using my lower vantage point, I come to the keyhole and glimpse through it. The office really is empty. They’re gone. I fucking survived the scariest situation I’ve ever been in. And I found the safe.
Refusing to let the adrenaline crash ruin my chances, I rise to my feet and turn the light on. As I’ve noticed before, the wallpaper is perfectly applied, without the slightest hint that something hides behind it. But I saw some light, and I know there must be a hidden door. Using my fingers, I try to find the shape again, having a vague idea of where it is. As I spread my hands around, I sense it. A barely perceptible dent and a cut in the wallpaper. I follow the outline, which must be twenty inches wide by fifteen inches tall. Holy shit… It was right under my nose the entire time, so well-hidden, I didn’t notice it despite looking.
Unsure how to open this hidden panel, I push against it in several places. To my delight, a click comes as the panel dips in a couple of millimeters. Then the door opens, set on a simple push-to-open latch. What’s behind it isn’t nearly as simple, though. There it is. The fucking safe I’ve been looking for. The one Lorelei told us about.
It’s nested about five inches into a niche that’s exactly its size, and I’m pretty sure it’s secured in there. Just like the other safes I found, it’s electronic. There’s a digital screen on it, which is where the light I saw must have come from. But it’s off now. Could Lex’s tampering with the electricity have made the safe reboot, thus turning on the screen? That could explain it.
As I did with the other ones, I absorb as much information as I can to give Lex a full report so we can look for the precise model. It’s a different brand, it’s the smallest of them all, and it’s stainless steel in appearance. I use my hand to measure the width and height, making sure not to leave any prints.
As soon as I’m done, I close the panel again and make my way out of the closet. I listen intently before exiting the office and locking it. With my cleaning supplies in hand, I walk to the service door as fast as I can without raising suspicions, keeping my head low.
I found the safe, survived Becker and Horvat’s unexpected appearance, and will live to tell the tale to Lex.
All the maids have already changed and gone by the time I arrive at the locker room. All of them but Paola. She jumps up from the bench and surprises me with a hug. “Where were you?!” she asks in Spanish once she lets go, scolding me like a mother would.
“I found the safe!” I whisper.
“You did?!”
“Yes, hidden in the wall of the closet. You have to press on it to reveal a hidden panel.”
She lights up at the revelation, as if this were her own mission. Although I’ve been paying her five thousand dollars per day she’s helping me, I’d like to think she’s sympathetic to our cause. And while we’re not friends, we’ve become amicable. I told her about Becker’s past misdeeds, as well as what he did to poor Lorelei, and her dislike for the man has grown tenfold.
“Excuse me, I need to call L—my husband,” I say, catching myself at the last moment. She still doesn’t know our identities, and I’d rather keep it that way.
I rush to my locker, get my phone, and see Lex has texted me like a maniac for the past fifteen minutes. I don’t waste a second reading any of them and call him immediately.
It hasn’t even started ringing when he picks up. “Jesus fucking Christ! Are you alright?!” he practically shouts with relief.
