Making the Grade (The Model Spy #2)

Chapter 24 - Living and Lying

"So what's the plan?" Max said out of the corner of his mouth. The lobby, with its white marble floor and black, shiny reception desk, was packed. Men and women were carrying trays of coffee and tea and leather briefcases. Some had cellphones tucked between their shoulders and ears as they waited for one of the five silver elevators lining the far wall of the lobby. There were about two dozen people, their toes clicking against the marble as they waited for the next available lift.

"How long will we have to wait for one of those?" Max asked. His fingers were nervously playing with the buttons around the cuffs of his shirt.

My eyes skimmed the room. Tucked in the corner was a skinny little hallway that stretched away from the hustle and bustle of the lobby. "Restricted," an engraved sign on the nearby wall warned, "Maintenance and Local Deliveries beyond This Point."

I tugged on Zach's sleeve. He had been eyeing the room carefully, the spy in him looking for another elevator or a hidden vent system that could get us to the thirtieth floor without us having to wait in the throngs of professionals.

I turned his attention to the hallway and sign. "I bet there is a service lift back there, for packages and deliveries."

"Let's go."

The four of us made our way to the hallway. The lobby was so crowded, no one paid us any mind as we weaved in and around them. Even the woman at the reception desk was too busy signing papers for a very impatient-looking mail carrier. Max remained close to Haylee, keeping her on an invisible leash so that, had her loyalties shifted, she couldn't have gotten too far.

Despite the warning on the sign, there was no alarm that sounded when we passed into the hallway. I didn't even notice a security camera hidden in the corners of the ceiling. It seemed like the owners of the building relied on the trust system, like the sign with its gold, engraved script and glossy black plate was frightening enough to warn away potential trespassers.

"There's the lift." Zach pointed to a large metal grate in the wall, big enough for the delivery and maintenance men to roll buggies and carts of packages in and out.

We all paused when we reached the grate. A padlock was laced through the bars, keeping anyone without a key from sliding open the door.

"Haylee, you give me a bobby pin" I held out my hand as Haylee wordlessly slipped a little golden pin from her hair. Some stray strands of hair poked out to the side. "Max, you keep watch and make sure no one comes down this hallway."

I bent over the lock and worked the bobby pin around, until I heard several clicking noises. Still, the lock didn't budge. The pin was beginning to slip between my sweaty fingers.

"You don't happen to have some heavy-duty wire cutters in those skinny jeans of yours, do you?" I muttered to Zach, only half-joking.

"Afraid not." He knelt down next to me. "Let me try."

I handed the bobby pin to him. "We're some spies, huh?"

"Hey, I brought all of the data and information. You could have at least provided the proper gadgets. That is the polite thing to do, after all." He frowned as he picked the lock. "I've broken into international banks with a plastic fork easier than this."

"Laura!" Max whispered frantically from his lookout spot along the wall, but it was too late.

"What are you doing?" a deep voice asked.