Page 45 of Girl Lost (The King Legacy #1)

“No, not the cloud. Too risky.” Summer’s brow furrowed, her lips moving silently as she processed the information.

“Besides off-site, the safest place would be ... down here. Somewhere secure. Hidden.” Her gaze darted around the room, then settled on Corbin.

“There’s a room two floors down. It’s filled with computer equipment.

Servers and networking. I’ve only peeked inside. ”

Corbin nodded. The data vault. It had to be there. “If I could get inside, I could find a way to download the patient list, the financial records. All the evidence we need to expose the whole operation.”

“I’ve got a flash drive,” Summer offered.

He turned to Luna. “I’ll go after the data vault. You guys find Stryker.”

“What?” Luna’s eyes widened. “No. We need to stick together. It’s too dangerous to split up.”

“We don’t have a choice. We need proof Carlie and the others were here.

For their families. We can’t risk them moving or deleting the evidence.

” He met her gaze. “You help Trinity and focus on finding Stryker. Summer can guide you. Once you’re clear, radio for backup.

Medical support. The works. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point. ”

“Corbin, no.” Luna shook her head. “Don’t leave me again.”

He could hear fear in her voice for the first time since .

.. since she’d been in the hospital. With Summer.

Their daughter. There was conflict in Luna’s eyes.

He felt it too. That pull between his paternal instincts, the need to protect all three of them, and the need to do his job. Solve this case.

“It’s not like that.” He reached for her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. “The Commissioner needs closure. You saw the anger and despair in his eyes.”

She nodded.

He continued, “And ... what about the others? There could be more out there, with these ... these hearts or other organs, not knowing.”

“Come on, Trin.” Summer’s gaze softened as she turned to her. “Let’s get you out of that gown and into some real clothes. You’ll feel better, I promise.”

As Summer led Trinity into the bathroom, Luna turned back to Corbin. “I thought we were in this together. Partners?”

“We are.” He pulled her close, his arms encircling her waist, the warmth of her body a comfort against his aching ribs.

“This isn’t the same, Luna. I love you. Always have.

Always will.” He tilted her chin, his lips brushing against hers.

“And I just found my daughter. I’m not going to make the same mistakes again. Not this time. I promise.”

She yielded to his kiss. Soft, hesitant at first, then responding with a fierceness that made his head spin. The taste of her, familiar and intoxicating, a reminder of all they’d lost, all they could still have.

They broke apart, the girls’ chatter in the bathroom a reminder of the danger that still lurked.

“What about the data vault?” Luna asked. “How are you going to get in?”

“I’ll figure it out.” He stroked her cheek, his thumb tracing the curve of her jaw. “And then I’ll be right behind you.”

The bathroom door opened, and Summer emerged, her arm around Trinity, who was dressed in a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, her face pale but determined.

“Okay, here’s the deal.” Summer pointed to a spot on her tablet’s map of the facility. “If the data vault is where I think it is, then it’s on the sub-level, two floors down. You’ll need a key card or maybe a six-digit code to get in.”

“And how do we get those?” Corbin asked.

“We improvise.” Summer’s lips curved in a smile as she handed him the tiny Flipper device and explained how to use it.

“Keep pressing this button until the unit finds the frequency and the door unlocks. I’ve managed to disable the alarm so you won’t trip it again,” she said.

“But it won’t last. Maybe ten minutes, tops. ”

Corbin looked at Luna. He knew, without a doubt, that she could handle this. She was the strongest woman he knew.

He kissed her, a quick, hard press of his lips against hers. “Be careful.”

“Always am.” She smiled, a flash of her old fire.

“Let’s go, Trinity.” Luna placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, her gaze meeting Corbin’s. “We’ll find Stryker and get you home.”

He watched Luna lead Trinity into the hall, Summer following close behind. He didn’t want to let them out of his sight, but he knew he had to trust them. He had to trust himself.

Summer ran back. “Wait! I almost forgot.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small flash drive. “Here. Take this.” She pressed it into his palm. “It’s loaded with a program that’ll clone any hard drive. It’ll take three minutes.”

“Three minutes,” he repeated, his mind calculating the odds, the risks.

“You’ll be careful, right?” She looked up at him, eyes searching his, as if trying to gauge whether she could trust him. “I just met you, and I don’t want to lose you. I want to get to know my ... my father.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. Father . The word sounded foreign but right. He forced a calmness he didn’t feel, trying to calm the rush of emotions.

“I’m not going anywhere, Summer. Not without you.” He guided her chin up, his gaze meeting hers as he did. “I don’t know what happens next, but I’m here. To help you. To make sure you’re safe. And maybe ... maybe we’ll have time to get to know each other.”

Her eyes flickered with something. Hope, fear, or both. Then she was gone, running down the corridor.

The flash drive was cool against his palm for a fleeting moment before he shoved it into his pocket and took off in the opposite direction.

The clock was ticking.

Ten minutes before the alarm would be tripped.

Three minutes to clone the hard drive.