Page 83 of Veiled

The emergency exit should be unlocked since there is supposedly an emergency, but it looks like our saboteurs thought of everything and found a way to override this door, keeping it locked.

“Shit, the door needs a keycard. We’re going to have to hide and try to get out when they start checking every floor.” This is the worst-case scenario right now. Fuck!

“Or, we could use this keycard I found,” Annalise says so casually while quickly passing me the keycard that she must have stolen from the security guard. I hate him a little less now.

“You’re brilliant,” I tell her as the door clicks open and we step out into the dark alleyway that I parked next to. We only need to run to the left about thirty feet, and we’ll be home free.

“Keep going, I’ll catch up in a second.” She starts running in the opposite direction, and doesn’t answer me when I ask her where she’s going. It’s a miracle they aren’t already back here. She’s going to be seen.

Halfway up the alley, I see her drop the keycard we had just used to escape. I’m sure to help her stupid security guard keep from getting in trouble.

I’m back to fully hating him again.

As we pull away from Greg’s building, I click the secure drop location that I already programmed into my GPS and head to Lickety Split, a damn ice cream shop.

We will no doubt be under surveillance from the second we pull up, so as the car comes to a stop, we fall back into character. I help her from the car and hold her hand like the couple we’re meant to be, simply out for a post-brunch treat.

Inside, two people are sitting at different tables—a man and a woman, a couple, and a family of four.

Playing our parts, we head straight to the ice cream counter and look over the menu.

“What looks good to you, Sweetheart?” I ask Annalise, but I should know better already.

“I’m stuck between rocky road and strawberry. Ooo, or maybe mint chocolate chip.”

Of course, she couldn’t just pick one; that wouldn’t be my Ana.

No, not mine.

“How about you get two of them, and I’ll get the third and the cookies and cream? Then we can share.” I suggest knowing she’ll probably eat most of it when I don’t.

“You’re too good to me.” She sighs and kisses my cheek.

But she isn’t mine, as much as I wish she could be.

I wait for the cones I ordered and pay the young man behind the counter before joining her.

“What have you noticed?” I ask. I couldn’t observe the room behind me without being obvious, so I’m hoping she has picked up on something.

“The girl closest to us is out, she’s been smoking her weed vape, and I don’t think they are letting us do drugs for a mock mission.”

They kicked a student out for smoking cigarettes; there is no chance they are letting someone smoke weed. This is a fake mission in an ice cream shop, not a drug bust with deep undercover assets. “Doubt it.”

“Okay, so that leaves the couple, the guy sitting by himself, and the family of four.” She says as we discreetly profile each of them.

The solo male gets up then and leaves.

“Scratch that, it’s down to the family of four and the couple since the drop point was set in advance.” I point out the obvious.

“Wait, say that again,” she says, excitement filling her quiet voice.

“Say what? That we had a set drop point?”

“That’s it! The family can’t be our contacts because there is no way they could sit here all day with two small kids, but the employee who has a set shift would already know he’s going to be here the full drop-off window without raising suspicion!”

Looking at the man who took my order and money, I notice he’s acting suspiciously. Too many looks in our direction, too fake a smile. That’s our guy.

“He’s the one,” Annalise echoes my thoughts out loud. “But now what? Do we just walk over there?”