Chapter 9
The wall safe was a heavy, circular steel mechanism set deep into the reinforced concrete behind the mahogany paneling. Leo’s fingers hovered over the digital dial. Kwan had provided a six-digit combination based on an old corporate restructuring date Chen was known to use for personal files.
"Hurry, Leo," Mei whispered from the doorway, her ear pressed against the wood paneling. "I think I heard the janitor’s cart moving down toward this section."
Leo took a slow, deep breath, shutting out the rising panic in his chest. He dialed the first three numbers, heard the satisfying mechanical tumbler click into place, and entered the remaining digits.
Clunk.
The heavy steel door swung open smoothly on well-oiled hinges. Inside, sitting neatly on the velvet-lined shelf, was a small, matte-black encrypted flash drive—and beside it, a thick paper folder bearing the union’s official seal.
Leo reached in and grabbed both items, sliding them quickly into the deep pocket of his denim shirt. He swung the safe door shut, spinning the dial back to its random default setting.
Suddenly, the overhead lights in the hallway flickered, and the sound of the vacuum cleaner stopped abruptly. Muffled voices drifted through the door.
"Hey, who left this service cart out here?" a gruff voice demanded.
Mei froze, her eyes widening in alarm. She looked back at Leo, who was already on his feet, scanning the room for an alternative exit. There were no other doors—only the large glass windows overlooking the thirty-second-story drop.
"We have to go back out the way we came," Leo whispered urgently, grabbing her hand. "If we move now, we can beat them to the freight elevator."
They cracked Chen’s office door open just an inch. Down the hallway, two security guards were standing by the supply cart, examining the manifests Kwan had left behind. One of them was speaking urgently into his lapel radio, calling for backup on the floor.
"They found the cart," Mei muttered. "They’re locking down the elevator bank."
"Then we don't take the elevator," Leo said, his mind racing through the architectural layout Kwan had described. "The emergency stairwell is at the opposite end of the corridor, behind the glass fire door. If we can reach it before they sweep this section, we can make it down to the loading dock on foot."
Without waiting for agreement, Leo pulled Mei out of the office and into the carpeted hallway, moving in a low, rapid crouch. They darted behind a massive structural pillar just as one of the guards turned around to scan the corridor.
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The distance to the fire door felt like a mile. Every step on the plush carpet felt too loud, every breath too ragged. They pushed past a row of large decorative planters, their bodies pressed flat against the wall as the security radio squawked with static.
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