Chapter 5 - THE LOCKED FLOOR
Madison stared at the red light above the archive door.
ACCESS DENIED.
She swiped her card again.
ACCESS DENIED.
“This is ridiculous.”
A voice behind her said, “You’re right.”
Madison spun around.
Sophie stood at the end of the hallway.
Daniel beside her.
Two security officers behind them.
Madison’s face went white.
“What are you doing here?”
Sophie almost laughed.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
Madison held up her access badge.
“My father gave me this.”
“Your father doesn’t have authority to give you archive access.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Why are you here?”
Madison hesitated.
That was enough.
Sophie stepped closer.
“Who sent you?”
“No one.”
“Try again.”
Madison’s eyes flashed.
“You think because you own this building you can interrogate me?”
“Yes.”
The answer came so quickly Madison had nothing to say.
Sophie pointed toward the badge reader.
“Your card was used downstairs three minutes ago.”
“I just got here.”
Daniel frowned.
Madison looked at him.
“I’m telling the truth.”
Sophie studied her.
For the first time that night, Madison didn’t look arrogant.
She looked scared.
Daniel spoke into his radio.
“Pull camera footage.”
The security officer checked his tablet.
Then froze.
“What?”
“The cameras on this floor went offline six minutes ago.”
Sophie’s expression hardened.
A metallic crash echoed from behind the archive door.
Everyone turned.
Someone was inside.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Call the police.”
The lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the hallway.
Madison screamed.
“Don’t move!” Sophie shouted.
Emergency lights flashed red.
A door slammed somewhere ahead.
Footsteps.
Running.
One of the security officers took off.
Sophie followed.
Daniel grabbed her arm.
“Sophie!”
She pulled free.
The stairwell door flew open.
A shadow disappeared inside.
Sophie ran after it.
“Sophie!”
She pushed through the door.
The stairwell was nearly dark.
Footsteps thundered below.
She moved down two steps at a time.
Floor 39.
Floor 38.
She caught a glimpse of a black jacket.
“Stop!”
The figure kept running.
Sophie reached the thirty-seventh floor landing.
The man suddenly turned.
He slammed into her.
Sophie hit the wall.
Pain exploded across her shoulder.
The man grabbed for her phone.
She drove her knee upward.
He cursed.
Daniel came crashing through the door above.
The man shoved Sophie backward and ran.
Daniel chased him.
Sophie caught the railing.
Below, another door slammed.
Then silence.
Daniel returned thirty seconds later, breathing hard.
“Lost him.”
Sophie leaned against the wall.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
“That was not a yes.”
She flexed her shoulder.
“It works.”
Her phone rang.
Security control.
Daniel answered.
“Tell me.”
He listened.
Then looked at Sophie.
“They restored one camera.”
“And?”
“We got a face.”
They returned upstairs.
Madison stood with security, shaking.
Sophie looked at the tablet.
The image was grainy.
But clear enough.
A man in a black jacket entering the restricted elevator.
Madison gasped.
“No.”
Sophie looked at her.
“You know him?”
Madison stared at the screen.
“That’s Evan.”
“Evan who?”
“My father’s driver.”
Daniel and Sophie exchanged a look.
Madison’s voice cracked.
“He’s worked for my family for eleven years.”
Then the elevator opened.
Victor Vale stepped out.
He took one look at his daughter.
Then at the security image.
May you like
And he said something nobody expected.
“Madison, don’t say another word.”
