One side of his mouth curved. “That’s the spirit,” he said and took her hand. “Let’s see how good we are at breaking and entering.”
The downing of the telephone pole had taken out all lights except for a few exterior security lights powered by the generator, which had kicked on automatically. Zack gripped her hand as he led her across the tarmac toward the rear of the main building. Two men ran out the double doors, pulling on coats and equipment. Zack hauled Emily behind a Dumpster just before they would have been spotted. Forcing her to kneel, he dropped to his knees beside her and put his arms around her only to discover that she was trembling.
Putting his mouth close to her ear, he breathed in her scent and found himself wishing he’d met her under different circumstances. “Easy,” he whispered. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Silly words, considering. Not to mention your track record, a cruel little voice added.
He held Emily for a minute. Once the two men were out of earshot, he turned her to him. Her eyes were wide. Her mouth wet and full. Her nostrils flaring with every exhalation. Her face was pale, but the cold had turned her cheeks rosy. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his entire life.
Zack leaned forward and brushed his mouth against hers. She didn’t resist. But she didn’t kiss him back, either. Zack didn’t care. After that first dangerous contact, all he wanted was more.
Her lips were sweet and soft and wet against his. He wanted badly to deepen the kiss, but some shred of logic held him back. He pulled away, as stunned by his response to her as by the fact that he could be so foolish as to get caught up in a kiss at a time like this.
She was looking at him as if to ask, Why did you do that?
“Every man has his limit,” he said. “Including me.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” she said dazedly.
Taking her hand, he helped her to her feet. “Let’s go.”
Using the plow driver’s security access card, they entered the main building through the rear door. The interior was dark and smelled of floor wax, heated air and paper dust. Zack’s eyes slowly adjusted to the near total darkness. They were standing in a small nondescript foyer with a reception window, a red leather sofa and two matching chairs and a coffee table piled with magazines.
Never releasing Emily’s hand, he crossed to the only door and swiped the security badge through the reader. The lock clicked and he shoved open the door.
“Where are we going?” Emily whispered.
“Let’s see if we can find a file room or maybe some of the offices.”
“Devlin, this is such a long shot.”
“I know,” he muttered, annoyed because she was right. Because he didn’t have a better plan. Damn it. He turned to her. “If we get caught, I want you to tell them I’ve been holding you hostage.”
She stared at him, her eyes large and fragile in the dim light. “But you haven’t—”
“This is no time for loyalty to me,” he said. “These people have a lot at stake and they’re playing for keeps. If you want to live, tell them I forced you into this.”
“What about you?”
“I do this for a living, remember?” When she only continued to stare at him, he added, “I’ve got MIDNIGHT to back me. I’ll be fine.”
Still, Zack doubted either of them would survive if they were caught. And not for the first time he mentally kicked himself for involving her. “Come on,” he said. “We don’t have much time.”
A single yellow light illuminated the hall just enough for him to make out the signs on the doors. In the distance he could hear the occasional door slamming, telling him there were people in the building, moving around, probably wondering what had happened to the power. Twice he and Emily had to duck into an alcove to miss being seen. Once by a woman with a flashlight. And then by two security officers toting guns. If it hadn’t been so dark, they would have been caught red-handed….
“What were those two men doing with guns in a veterinary pharmaceutical firm?” Emily whispered as they stepped back into the hall.
“I’ll bet the farm this place doesn’t have a damn thing to do with veterinary medicine.” And everything to do with chemical weapons and Lockdown, Inc., he thought darkly.
They passed an elevator. The bell dinged, warning them of the arrival of someone else on the floor. “Damn, this place is busy at this hour,” Zack muttered. Grabbing Emily’s arm, he darted toward an Exit sign at the end of the hall. He pushed open the door, and they slipped into the darkened stairwell just as two men stepped off the elevator.
“That was close,” he said.
“Too close. How are we going to find what we’re looking for?” She was breathing hard. Even in the darkness, Zack could see that she was an inch away from panic. “We don’t even know where to begin.”
“Take it easy, Emily.”