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Grant bobbed his head as he slid the flash drive into his pocket. “Roof access is on the thirtieth floor. Come on.”
They followed him to the elevator. The seconds it took for the doors to open after he pressed the button stretched for an eternity. His breathing came in shallow gasps as his chest constricted. Time slowed as the elevator finally pulled them upward.
He slid from the car before the doors even opened fully, hurrying down the hall toward the marked staircase. He pushed into it and pounded up the concrete stairs to the metal door at the top.
With no window, it was impossible to tell what he was walking into. His hand grasped the cold metal of the doorknob, but before he could open it, Kyle pressed a hand against the door.
“Wait, we have no idea how this is going to go. We need a signal or something.”
“What signal?” Grant asked.
“A certain word or…phrase. Maybe a bird sound.”
Grant’s forehead scrunched. “What? No, just…leave the door open a crack and if things take a turn for the worse, run out.”
“Oh, right. Okay, that might work,” Kyle said with a nod.
“Stay back. I don’t want Lydia spotting either of you.”
Kyle and Luke shifted out of the way as Grant slid the door open an inch and stared through the crack. A helicopter sat on the helipad, its blades spinning slowly.
Lydia stood near it, her fingers wrapped tightly around Julia’s arm and a gun still leveled at her.
His stomach clenched at the sight, and his knees wobbled, but he forced himself through the door onto the windy rooftop.
“Hands up!” Lydia shouted at him, waving her gun.
He raised his hands in the air as he slowly approached them.
“Do you have what I asked for?”
“I do. It’s in my pocket.”
“Get it out,” Lydia snapped. “Slowly. And no tricks, Grant, or the little cupcake gets it.”
“Easy, Lydia. I’m not going to try anything,” he answered, trying desperately to keep his voice steady.
“Grant, you can’t give it to her,” Julia insisted.
“Shut up, you little goody-goody,” Lydia retorted, giving her a hard shake.
Grant slid the small device from his pocket and held it in the air. “Here it is. See? No tricks. Just…let Julia go, and I’ll toss it over, okay?”
“No way, Grant. I’m not letting her go until I’ve got the flash drive.”
Grant shifted his weight, cocking his head. “Well, now, we have a problem. Because I can’t give this to you until you let her go.”
“I’m in control here!” Lydia shouted as she poked the gun into Julia’s side.
“I can see that, but…neither of us trust each other. Which I guess makes sense, because…we had a really bad breakup.” If he could just keep her talking, maybe he could figure something out.
“Can it, Grant. I’m not interested in your psychobabble that you think will lull me into a false sense of security to do something stupid.”
“I’m not…trying to do that, Lydia. I’m just trying to understand.”
“Understand what?”
“Why you would hurt an innocent woman just to get at me.”
