“I haven’t the time nor the inclination to explain,” he said, struggling to keep his voice low. “I want everyone to work from home today. The place needs to be cleared out in fifteen minutes.”
“Of course, Mr. Vallois,” she said firmly, drawing Lucas’s gaze back up to her. The woman stood facing him, her back and shoulders straight. “Is there anything I can do for you…off the record?”
The woman never ceased to amaze him. She knew very little of what was going on and he intended to keep her in the dark. If things went bad and the police got wind of half the shit he had in mind, he didn’t want Candace dragged into any of it. But there was one thing he wanted. He stood and opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a plain white security key card, which he handed over to her.
“After everyone leaves, use this card to access the security room. Turn off all the video and recording surveillance for this floor. Erase it for the entire day. Wipe down anything you touch and then lose the card on your way home.”
Candace nodded and then left without another word. She never questioned him. Fuck, he was going to have to give her another raise if he survived this.
Alone in his office, Lucas called Rowe on his cell phone. In his rage, he could only demand for the man to pick up Snow and come immediately to his office downtown. Luckily Rowe didn’t question it. He grunted in acknowledgement and hung up. They’d all known that things could go bad quickly when Andrei went undercover. Maybe they’d even been waiting for it, but the pain that threatened to swamp Lucas left him sure that he hadn’t truly been prepared.
While he waited for his friends to arrive, Lucas informed George that his boss was on his way and got the man to complete a sweep for bugs in his office yet again. He couldn’t be sure how the bastard had discovered the truth about Andrei. The only place in Lucas’s life that saw a steady flow of people was his office, but he’d never spoken of his plans for Andrei while at the office. Could someone have gotten past the security at the penthouse and sneaked in a bug there?
Minutes before Snow and Rowe’s arrival, Candace stopped in his office one last time to inform him that everyone had left. George had found nothing in his office and was checking the rest of the floor just in case. The silence that settled over the executive suite was suffocating. The sounds of the street below didn’t reach him and the wind was still. There was nothing in the room but the rush of blood in his ears and his ragged breathing. Lucas closed his eyes against the cityscape beyond the window, trying to order his thoughts. They needed a plan. And considering there were only three of them against an unknown number, Lucas had to make sure it was a fucking brilliant plan.###
Rowe stalked into the office twenty minutes after Lucas’s call while Snow trailed behind him looking ragged and bleary eyed. The man had likely been in bed for less than an hour after his shift at the hospital when Rowe came for him. He wanted to feel bad for Snow, but he couldn’t. He needed his friends if they were going to save Andrei. George poked his head into the office and gave Lucas a short nod before closing the door behind the other two men.
“What happened?” Rowe demanded.
Lucas withdrew the photo and letter from his desk, handing it to Rowe. The man cursed as he handed it to Snow. The surgeon’s jaw tightened but he said nothing as he placed the items on the desktop.
“How?” Rowe snarled.
“I don’t know. The office is clean.” Lucas shook his head. “Maybe he was followed and didn’t know it. Maybe someone got into the penthouse. I don’t know and at this point, it doesn’t matter.”
“What’s the plan?” Snow asked.
Lucas stared at his friend, allowing his emotions to harden once again before turning his cold gaze over to Rowe. “What are the chances that he’s still alive?”
Rowe looked away from Lucas, his eyes darting from place to place in the office while he rubbed the top of his head with one hand. “Not good. They might keep him alive as insurance. Wait for you to show up and then put a bullet in his head before killing you.”
“But it’s not necessary,” Snow interjected. “He’s likely dead.”
Lucas didn’t react. Not outwardly. Something inside of him screamed but nothing broke through. His focus hardened. “Then we return the favor.”
“Lucas,” Snow whispered. “Have you considered going to the cops? Hand this over to them to finish?”
“This is my fight. They attacked me. Attacked Andrei. This bastard is mine.”