“How much will it cost to rescue him? Can you do that? Not just investigate?”
The Wilsons looked at each other and Luke nodded. He wouldn’t say he could if it was impossible. I had to trust he could do this.
“We’ll get him out.” Ella’s eyes were kind, and she looked apologetic. “It won’t take as long if you and your brother-in-law help. We’ll write up an invoice afterward.”
I didn’t care about the money—I’d pay. Getting Christopher back would be worth every cent.
“Done.”
“We need a solid plan,” said Ella. “Give us a couple of days. Day after tomorrow at the earliest for his retrieval. Probably Friday.”
“What can I do?”
“Be ready with a security distraction and an unfamiliar vehicle in case we have to separate. Our cars need to look the same. Rent a black CRV to match ours,” said Luke.
I nodded and gave them the address to the house. There were so many ways this could go wrong, but I didn’t see that I had other options. I couldn’t leave Christopher there.
“I have the antidote at home,”I said.“If he wakes up wrong, I’ll use it.”
I had concerns I might need help to restrain him long enough to inject him. If Brandon and Real Tech had made him super strong or impervious to pain, we’d have to sedate him, not overpower him. He might not want to be rescued once he woke in the lab. Brandon enjoyed feeling emotionless, but Christopher wouldn’t. I hated to leave him there for days, knowing he’d wake up, trapped and alone.
Luke’s second investigation confirmed that Christopher had been moved to one of the holding cells on the third floor. There were cameras in each room, in the hall, and in the elevator. Luke and Ella planned how to compromise the security system. They took video in the empty halls and the lobby. They hacked the security feed to download footage of Christopher sleeping. Their security loop would make it appear that Christopher was in his room and that the hallways were empty while we moved him. Luke could enter unseen, but Christopher wouldn’t be invisible. They’d have to resort to ordinary ways to escape instead of magic.
I called Andrew for additional muscle. He got a warrant from a judge that owed him a favor. It wouldn’t give us full access to everything at Real Tech, but it would get him, Officer Park, and invisible Luke upstairs into the lab to question Brandon. Luke would sneak away to extract Christopher. My job was to provide a distraction in the lobby and compromise the security feed. Luke called a friend and asked him to make untraceable sedatives to administer to the security guard so we could move Christopher out the front door. It would also give us time to get the vehicles out through the security gate.
We didn’t know how to contact the head of Real Tech, though Luke and Ella continued to follow leads, searching for the boss’s identity. There were layers of ownership companies, one owned by another, owned by another and so on, but each level always led to someone else in the cycle.
The days crawled by, until at last, on Friday night, we waited outside the lab. The Wilsons and I went in their car, behind Andrew and his partner in my new rental. Security at the gate waved us through together when Andrew flashed his badge and the warrant.
I turned away so the cameras wouldn’t see my face. I was the only one that security, including Horace and Jasper, might recognize. At eight o’clock it was dark and there were few cars in the lot, the familiar SUV that often followed us, Brandon’s car, and another older sedan. In the distance sat an expensive Audi parked all by itself. I peeked in the windows of the building and saw Paul, the security guard, inside. At least the person I was supposed to distract wouldn’t consider me a threat.
Andrew and Officer Park headed for the door. Luke was with them, but there was no sign of his presence. Since he was supposed to be invisible, that was a relief.
I clutched the flashdrive from Luke in my sweaty hand. We watched through the floor-to-ceiling windows as Andrew presented his warrant and Paul made a call. The security man wasn’t on the phone long. He used his security card and swiped the police officers into the back hall to escort them up the elevator. Once they were out of sight, I jumped from the car and entered the building. Luke had ensured that the outer door hadn’t latched. I ducked behind the security desk, my heart racing.
My eyes scanned the console, searching for the USB port Luke had described. Breathing fast, I jammed it in and watched the closed-circuit TV screens change. The hallway cam showed an empty hall instead of Paul chatting with the cops at the top of the elevator. Luke and Ella had created footage that would change the security feed for an hour. The lobby camera showed Paul at his desk. After we had Christopher, I would have to retrieve the drive.
I slid out from behind the desk and unloaded my props while I waited for Paul’s return. My chosen weapons were a thermos of hot chocolate and two disposable coffee cups.
Seconds later, Paul returned. I was just in time. His friendly face lit up to see me and guilt flashed through me. This wasn’t his fault and he might get in trouble.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he said. “What a lovely surprise. We haven’t seen you here in months.”
“Brandon’s been working so hard since he got out of the hospital,” I said. I’d practiced saying this aloud several times today. It was just a loud whisper, but it was audible. I hadn’t been sure I’d be able to talk, but I’d do anything for Christopher. “I thought I’d wait. He said he’d be down soon.”
“What’s this?” Paul said, nodding at cups on the counter.
“I brought hot chocolate.” I poured from the thermos, the steam carrying the rich scent of chocolate and sugar. “A treat.”
“I shouldn’t.” His eyes didn’t leave the cups as he breathed in the delicious aroma.
“I brought it especially for you. It must be boring and cold out here, night after night.”
I grabbed my cup and sat on the chairs by the window where I’d always waited for Brandon. I trusted Paul didn’t know Brandon, and I were no longer together.
Every second seemed too long, and my pulse raced. This wouldn’t work. Trying not to be obvious, I watched Paul. He checked the camera behind him and blocked the view of the hot chocolate. He winked at me, took a flask from inside his jacket, and poured a generous dollop into his steaming drink. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. We had a backup plan in case he wouldn’t drink the hot chocolate, but it was riskier. He took a long drink.
“That’s nice, Miss Elizabeth. Thanks.”
