Page 86 of A Devious Arrangement
I stand, not able to stay another second longer. Damon grabs my wrist as I go to walk off the dias. “Where the fuck are you going?”
“My girl needs my help.”
“Everything okay with my little sister? You’re not fucking this up, are you?”
Everyone is watching us, curiosity written in their silence, but I don’t give a flying fuck. I just need to get out of here.
“We’re good. I’ll let you know if we need your help. Right now, I just need to catch a thief.”
Chapter 40
Anastasia
“Right here’s fine.”The Uber pulls over a few blocks down from my destination. I managed to get the location and a few details from Nikolai without raising too much suspicion, but it’s clear he’s not going to let me keep him in the dark for much longer.
Good thing all of this is almost over.
Light poles illuminate the area surrounding the Archive building, and I’m careful to stick close to the wedge of shadow cast by the fence. Nikolai warned me that the security here is no joke, echoing what Bash said.
Keeping to my hiding spot, I evaluate the situation. There are three guards that move around the entire building, keeping a constant rotation of coverage. I can make out two cameras mounted at the wall, pointed toward the parking lot.
But it’s the area on the left that has me interested. It’s darker than everywhere else, a small alcove tucked inside the modern architecture of the building just big enough for a truck to park. I move closer, sending a pebble racing across the pavement.
A guard turns to me, and blood rushes in my ears as I press my back against the fence, praying I disappear into the shadows. The man scans the area, then moves on.
I rest my hands on my knees as I struggle to get my heart under control. Both Bash and Nikolai told me exactly how dangerous this place is, and I nearly got caught over a freaking rock?
Maybe I should have waited for Bash. He’d probably know of some easier way to get in, but God only knows how long their meeting will take. He’s going to be so pissed when he finds out I did this on my own, but I’ll have to ask for forgiveness later because there was no way I could just sit in my room and wait.
I would have gone crazy. At least this way, I’m occupied. Right?
The guard switches directions, resuming his routine, and I wait until he turns the corner before I hightail it across the open space, taking care to stay behind the cameras. I’d prefer to do this carefully, but there’s not enough time between the guard rounds to do anything less than a full-out sprint.
Just as I disappear into the hideaway alley, the sound of boots comes from the right. My chest heaves from both the run and adrenaline as I crouch out of sight.
I take out my phone, pulling up Bash’s number. If I call him, he’ll answer, right? Just tell him that I may have gotten in over my head here and could use a little help.
Several heartbeats pass before I tuck my phone into my pocket. He’ll be in the Vault right now, which means he won’t see my message until it’s too late.
Way to go, Stas…you’re well and truly on your own.
I’m quiet as I assess the space around me from my new vantage point. There are no doors or windows. Nothing but a smooth wall on the bottom floor. I puff out my cheeks as I tilt my head back. The second floor has windows, but with the sleek metal paneling on the building, there’s no scaling it. There’s a fire escape ladder, but it’s at least twelve feet up…
Think. Think. Think.
My teeth worry my lip as I sort through my options. I can risk trying to make it back to the fence and try my luck at finding another spot, but there’s no guarantee I’ll even be able to get this close again. Or…I remove my backpack, sliding it to the ground and unzipping it. The fibers of the rope are rough on my palm. I’d grabbed this out of delusion, a case of a spy movie. Never did I think I’d actually be using it.
Once the guard passes by, I count to twenty. Theoretically, that will give him enough time to clear the area but not enough for the next guard to be close yet.
It’s going to be simple, just toss it up and climb in through a window. Easy. Nothing to worry about.
The end of the rope is heavy in my hand as I throw it as hard as I can toward the bottom rung. It misses and comes back so fast I can’t dodge it, taking the hit to the shoulder with a loud oomph.
I freeze, breath caught in my lungs as I listen for booted feet, but it’s silent.
Once the timing is right again, I situate myself under the ladder, hold the bulk of the thick line with one hand, and aim with the other. A quick prayer to all the gods later, I’m throwing it into the air. The rope threads over the bottom rung, and I jump up to catch the end before it can fall back. I hold it in my hands for several seconds, staring at it.
Did that actually work?
