Page 79 of Veiled

“Excuse me!” I call to the security guard, lacing my voice with panic as I stand in the open doorway. “Have you seen a black lab run by here?”

I bend down to tie my shoe that I untied right before running in here. “I accidentally dropped his leash when I tripped, and he took off in this direction.”

“Sorry, ma’am. I haven’t noticed a dog run by. Are you sure he came this way?” The young man asks as he looks down my sports bra, blatantly checking out my boobs.

I flash him a smile, letting my eyelashes flutter. “I’m sure you’re busy,” I say, lowering my voice to sound more intimate. “But would you mind looking in the alley behind the building for me while I check the next block over? It’s so dark, I’m a bit scared to go back there.”

His eyes linger on me for a second too long, then he nods, eager to help. “Not at all. And once we find him, maybe you’ll give me your number so we can find ways for you to work up a sweat that you won’t trip during.”

Holy shit. I was not expecting that bold of game from his boyish face.

I let out a little laugh and slowly run my hand down his arm, “Sounds like a date.”

I follow him out the door, and as he turns toward the alleyway, I call after him, “His name is Carter!”

As he disappears, Aiden casually strolls up to the front door and walks in. I follow closely behind.

We climb all eight flights of stairs, and I thank the gods that Greg’s office isn’t any higher as my legs start to burn.

The office is only two doors down from the stairwell, but it’s clear that no one else is here, which makes sense on a Sunday.

Aiden reaches for his lock picks, but when he grabs the handle, it opens easily. I guess Greg thought the armed security guard would be enough.

The office is everything I pictured after meeting Greg yesterday. Clean. Organized. Only a single photo of him and Tara, showing him as the loving husband he tries to portray, while the rest of the frames are of him driving a boat, shaking hands with what I assume are important people, and golfing with some of his friends who were at brunch yesterday.

We split up to search his office. Aiden checks his desk drawers while I look behind the paintings hanging on the wall and through the tall grey filing cabinet.

“I’m not seeing anything,” I whisper to Aiden right as the fire alarm starts blaring through the building.

“Fuck! I checked all over here, but I don’t see anything either.” Aiden shouts over the alarm.

“Maybe we got it all wrong, and it is at his house? Or in his car?” I’m panicking, but we need a direction to move.

“I don’t know, but we need to get out of here.” He says, and we both turn toward the door.

“Wait!” his voice pulls me back, and he runs to the bookshelf. “Help me look behind these books really quick.

We both start pulling handfuls of books out, checking behind them, and putting them back exactly how we found them. We’re almost done when I spot it: a small, concealed safe, nearly blending into the dark wood. My pulse picks up, but I keep my breathing steady. “I think I got it!”

Aiden takes no time picking the lock and pulling the hard drive out.

“Let’s go. We have to hurry. The lobby will be swarming with first responders any minute. We’re going to have to take the emergency exit out the back.”

We take the stairs two at a time until we get to ground level.

“Shit, the emergency door didn’t unlock with the safety measure like it should have! It still needs a keycard,” Aiden says. “We’re going to have to hide and try to get out when they start checking every floor.”

“Or, we could use this keycard I found,” I say, passing him the card I swiped off of—dang, I didn’t even catch the guard's name for when I tell Sasha and Matt this story later.

“You’re brilliant,” he grabs the card and swipes it, letting us step out into the dark alleyway.

“Let’s move,” Aiden says, but I hesitate, my eyes scanning the alley for a split second. I stop dead in my tracks, making him halt beside me.

“Keep going, I’ll catch up in a second,” I whisper, already turning back.

“What? Where are you going?” he asks, voice low but laced with confusion.

I jog halfway up the alley before dropping the keycard on the ground, ensuring it’s in plain sight. I know the smooth talker will come back here, hoping he dropped it when he was looking for Carter. And since he was willing to help me find my fake dog, I don’t want him to lose his job over this.