Page 142 of His Reckless Freshman

My nerves are strung so tight, I have to remind myself to breathe.

Not wanting to turn any lights on, I pull the flashlight out of my back pocket and flick it on instead, keeping it dipped toward the floor so no one from outside will see the light. Not that anyone is loitering outside the building, but I’m trying for stealth here.

I’ve watched enough movies.

I know what I’m doing.

Crouching down outside Kieran’s office door, I try the handle, and as expected, it’s locked.

Which is why I spent the last hour studying a YouTube video on how to pick locks using two paper clips. I prepared them and bent them into shape, and now all I have to do is…

Slipping the first paper clip into the bottom of the keyhole, I then use the other one to jiggle the pins, just the way the video showed.

It’s not as easy as they made it look, but I stay put, wrestling with the keyhole until I feel a soft pop.

My lips part and I turn the handle again, delighted by my success. No way! I can’t believe that worked.

I had high hopes sneaking in here, but realistic ones, you know?

My insides are thrashed and raw as I move into Kieran’s office. Worry eats at me, my imagination flying as I think about the repercussions of what I’m doing.

Ben’s going to be so annoyed when he finds out.

And maybe he’s right about the whole admissible-in-court thing, but I just need to find proof and get these videos out of Kieran’s hands. That’s my mission tonight. I want to destroy the video he has of me. If I can do that, I’m no longer at risk, and then I can be the one to go after him. He won’t have anything over me.

That’s a solid plan, right?

Unless he posts the videos of the other girls. You can’t just protect yourself!

I frown, casting my flashlight around the room and trying to decide where to start.

Open drawers, cupboards, filing cabinets. Just get on with it!

With a little whimper, I lurch for the cabinet closest to me and get to work, hunting through Kieran’s office from one side to the other. I’m working fast, trying to be efficient… and coming up completely empty-handed.

Until I close the bottom drawer of his desk and notice a hollow sound.

Wait. What was that?

Pulling it open again, I lift out the folders and rap my knuckles on the wood. It sounds different… just here. I knock it again to be sure.

“Bingo,” I whisper, glee skittering through me as I try to lift that panel… but it doesn’t budge. With a frown, I shine my light over the wood and spot a small lock in the bottom right corner. It takes a little key, and dammit, my paper clips are too fat for this lock.

No. I can’t come this far only to be stopped now.

I am getting into this space.

Shining my flashlight over Kieran’s desk, I spot the stapler and just decide to risk the noise I’ll make smashing through this wood. I’m running on pure determination right now. I’m too close to give up.

It’s not until the wood cracks and splinters that I realize there’s zero going back now. Kieran will find this the next time he opens the drawer.

I’ll have to expose him before that happens.

And whatever’s under this cracked wood is going to help me.

Hope fires through me as I smash the end of the stapler down again, then rip my gloves on the rough edges when I pull the wood back and dig out…

An external hard drive.