Page 89 of Keeping Knight

My gaze slides over to meet Rogue’s. I don’t have to say anything. He knows what I’m thinking.

Straightening, he holds his hand out to the officer. “I’m Nico Parisi. Founder and CEO of Fox & Falcon Security. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of us, but we often work with the NYPD.”

The officer’s eyes widen in recognition. “Fox & Falcon? Yeah, I’ve heard of you guys.” Then he shakes his head as he gives us an apologetic smile. “Still can’t let you inside, though. Rules are rules.”

Rogue shifts slightly, maneuvering the officer so his back is to me. “Maybe you can just tell me what’s going on here. Is it an actual fire? Or another false alarm wasting everyone’s time?”

I watch the officer carefully, waiting for my chance to move.

“Shit,” he replies. “Talk about a waste of time. From what I heard, someone set off a couple of smoke bombs. Got everyone all panicked. A punk teenager, at my best guess. Hopefully, we can catch him. Teach him a lesson.”

“I hope so,” Rogue says grimly. His gaze cuts over to mine.

I nod in agreement. Then, as soon as the officer starts talking again, I bolt for the entrance.

I make it within twenty feet of the entrance before voices start calling for me to stop. But the head start Rogue gave me is enough to ensure I beat them inside. Blasting through the double glass doors, I sprint for the stairs, deciding to pick up the elevator on a higher floor instead.

My legs burn as I push them harder than I ever have before. I take the stairs three at a time, using the bannister as leverage to launch myself up them. When I get to the third floor, I shove through the stairwell door and into the hallway. As I race for the elevator, I send up a silent prayer that it’s still running.

When I see the little green light glowing on the keypad, I let out a sigh of relief. I’m not sure how high I’ll be able to get, but anything is better than running up another thirty-six flights of stairs. At the elevator, I yank out my wallet and find my access card tucked inside. With a quick wave of the card at the keypad, the metal doors slide open, and I leap inside.

On the way up to my floor, I call Ruby three more times. Then I try calling Beau for good measure. “Dammit!” I bite out when the call switches over to voicemail. My fist thunks the elevator wall with a hollow thunk. “Answer the damn phone!”

By the time I reach the thirty-ninth floor, I’m on the verge of losing it. Panic is ballooning in my chest, making every breath an effort. My heart is in my throat. The adrenaline zipping through me makes it impossible to stay still.

As soon as the doors begin to slide open, I wrench them far enough apart to squeeze through. The hallway is empty, save for a single shoe lying discarded halfway down it. There’s a sour smell in the air. A haze lingers near the ceiling.

Reaching beneath my shirt, I remove my gun from my belt holster and hold it in low ready position. Though I want to go tearing down the hallway, I force myself to move cautiously, the way I was trained. As I creep towards my condo, I keep scanning my surroundings. I listen for a woman’s cry or the sharp sound of a dog barking.

But, dammit, there’s nothing.

After what feels like hours but was probably only thirty seconds or so, I reach my front door. Heart pounding in a combination of anticipation and fear, I punch in my access code on the keypad, then press my finger to the biometric reader. A moment later, the lock opens with a soft click.

Hand on the doorknob, instinct shouts at me to go rushing inside. Find Ruby, it demands. Why are you wasting time?

My gut. That’s why. Plus all the other shit leading up to now. They’re all telling me something is wrong. That Haverford was set up. That this fire alarm was a ploy to get Ruby alone. And dammit, I fell for it.

Impotent anger threatens to cloud my focus, and I take a steadying breath while trying to wrangle it under control. There’s no place for anger right now. No place for emotion. I need to get inside, assess the situation, and get Ruby to safety. That’s my only priority. Everything else can wait.

After another deep breath and exhale, I push open the door and look inside.

At first glance, the living room looks just as it did when I left. But on a second sweep of the room, I notice a bright blue phone case lying on the floor beside the couch.

Ruby’s phone.

My pulse jumps. Why is her phone on the floor? Why doesn’t she have it with her? She wouldn’t have left the condo without it. I know she wouldn’t. Unless…

Unless someone took her.

From my pocket, my phone buzzes silently. I want to answer it, but I can’t.

Sig at the ready, I creep further into the room. My neck prickles, like icy fingers trailed across it. I hold my breath, listening.

Then I hear it. From upstairs, I catch the low rumble of a man’s voice. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but his tone is rough. Angry.

Moving faster, I make a beeline for the stairs. My heart races, thundering in my head. Its rapid pounding threatens to drown out everything else.

Calm down, I tell myself. Panicking won’t help Ruby. This is a mission. Focus on getting it done.