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Cody loosened his tie, pulling it off with a swift motion. “That skirt’s not exactly tunnel crawling attire.”
Bridger turned back to them. “Make it quick. We need to keep moving.”
He lifted Paige down into the tunnel, trying to ignore the scent of her perfume mingling with the musty air. As they continued forward, the rough stone gave way to smooth white walls and modern, recessed lighting. The secret addition looked more like a hospital hallway than an underground tunnel.
“Talk about a design upgrade,” Bridger quipped, his eyes darting around for any sign of surveillance.
They approached the first door, marked by a sleek keypad. The LED next to the pad glowed red.
Bridger turned to Cody, his expression grim. “You’re up, hotshot. Let’s see if your fancy algorithm works.”
Cody pulled out his phone, fingers flying over the screen as he pulled up the necessary app. He could feel Paige’s eyes boring into him as he worked.
He punched in the code, holding his breath as the keypad beeped once, twice ... The lock disengaged with a soft click.
Bridger’s eyes narrowed. “We’re in. But this better not come back to bite us, Cody.”
As they slipped through the door, Cody couldn’t shake the feeling that he was leading them into a trap. But there was no turning back now. The mission, and maybe something more, depended on him.
His pulse quickened as they approached the second door. The sleek handprint scanner gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights, its surface unmarred by fingerprints. He flexed his fingers, steeling himself for what came next.
He pressed his palm against the cool surface of the scanner. A soft blue light pulsed beneath his skin, and the lock disengaged with a satisfying click.
Paige’s sharp intake of breath cut through the silence. “How in the world do you have that kind of access?”
Bridger’s eyes narrowed, his voice low and dangerous. “Something you forgot to mention, Lassiter?”
Cody shrugged, feigning nonchalance despite the knot in his stomach. “I have insiders to protect. The less you know, the better.”
The fact that the insider was him ... well, that was a complication for another day.
Cody approached the DNA lock, its intricate mechanisms a testament to Paige’s father’s genius. He motioned her forward.
The lock has a sensor that analyzes DNA from epithelial cells in exhaled breath.
Paige had to breathe directly into the sensor. Atticus had been a genius. The method ensured the person opening the lock was both present … and alive.
“Alright, Penderson. Time to put that DNA of yours to work.”
She pulled her hair back from her face and leaned close, exhaling onto the sensor. The lights ringing the sensor pad blinked blue, signaling that her sample had been accepted.
Cody entered his private code, the keys cool beneath his fingertips. Nothing happened.
Paige frowned. “Shouldn’t it open now?”
The crackle of their comms interrupted her. Tai’s voice came through, urgent and low. “We’ve got a problem. Some guy is heading into the main tunnel entrance from the director’s office.”
Cody’s blood ran cold. “The bookcase entrance? That intersects with our tunnel.”
Paige’s eyes widened. “How long do we have?”
“Minutes, if we’re lucky,” Tai replied.
Cody turned back to the lock, his fingers flying over the keypad. “Come on, come on,” he muttered.
As the footsteps echoed in the distance, growing louder with each passing second, Cody realized that his carefully constructed house of cards was about to come crashing down around him.
The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife as his fingers hovered over the keypad. His pulse thrummed in his ears, each beat a countdown to potential disaster. The distant echo of footsteps grew louder, each one a thunderclap that sent a jolt of adrenaline through his system. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he fought the urge to wipe it away, afraid any sudden movement might betray their position.