Page 48 of A Little Bit More
Panic Room
This story takes place just before Rich.
Julia Barone, Benson Security’s office manager, was busy going through the company’s invoices when Harvard, one of their security operatives, wandered into her office. As Julia’s office was the hub of the building, she was used to people popping in throughout the day to see her about a multitude of random things. Usually, they were fully dressed.
“Couldn’t this have waited until I woke up?” Harvard scratched his belly through the black T-shirt he wore over matching pajama bottoms. His feet were bare, and if his head wasn’t shaved, she was sure his hair would have been standing on end.
Although no longer as shy around the team as she used to be, Julia still found it hard to look any of them in the eye. Well, except for Joe, but shewasmarried to him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Your intercom message, telling me to get down here.” He didn’t frown; the American was far too laid back for that.
“I didn’t make an intercom call, especially to you. I know you were on duty last night.” Julia was particularly sensitive about interrupting Harvard, as she knew living in one of the staff apartments on the top floor of the building couldn’t be easy. It must feel like he was never off duty.
“Must have been dreaming.” He ran a hand down his face. “I’m going back to bed.” He shot her a quick smile before heading for the stairs.
He hadn’t been gone five minutes before the buzzing started. “Isobel?” Julia called to the reception desk, where Callum’s wife was working. “Someone’s at the door.”
“I know,” came the terse reply. “It’s Ryan. His keycard isn’t working, so I’m trying to let him in remotely. Which isn’t bloody working either.”
“I’ll get it,” Julia said, saving their receptionist from getting out of her seat. Isobel was hugely pregnant, making her ankles swollen and sore.
“You’re a star,” Isobel said as Julia walked past the front desk.
As soon as Ryan stepped through the door, she held out her hand for his card. “What did you do to it this time? Put it through the dryer with your laundry again?”
“No.” He placed it in her palm. “I didn’t do anything. I swear. The damn thing just won’t work.”
Julia stepped outside, shut the door, swiped the card, opened the door, and stepped back inside. She handed it to Ryan. “It’s working now.”
“It’s personal.” He glared at the card. “It hates me.”
“It isn’t the card,” Isobel said. “I couldn’t open the door from here either.”
“Must be a short in the circuit somewhere.” Julia headed back to her office. “I’ll get Joe to check the wiring as soon as he’s done sparring with Callum.”
She’d just finished speaking when phones started ringing. It sounded like every phone in the building rang twice and then fell silent.
“We’ve got Gremlins,” Isobel said ominously.
“That isn’t Gremlins,” Julia said. “It’s one of the intruder alerts Elle programmed into the system.”
“Intruder?” Isobel grabbed a stun gun from under the desk and looked around, as though someone might appear at any second.
“Who gave you a stun gun?” Ryan demanded as he strode over to her. He took it from her hands. “No dangerous weapons allowed when you’re pregnant and irrational, company policy.”
“The hell it is. Gimme back my stun gun so I can zap your arse.” Isobel glared up at Ryan, who was at least a full foot taller and a whole lot bigger.
“Yeah, that will make me do it.” He folded his arms and smirked at her.
“Um,” Julia said. “There’s smoke coming out of the walls.”
“Something triggered the fog?” Ryan focused his attention on the vents low on the walls, the vents spewing out fog. “Reception’s going to be full of this stuff in a minute. Everybody out. Especially you.” He pointed at Isobel. “They say this stuff’s harmless, but let’s not chance it with a pregnant woman. Callum will kill me if anything happens to you.”
He helped Isobel off her stool and over to the front door.
“I need to grab my iPad first,” Julia said. “So I can access the security systems from outside and see if the fog’s just activated in reception.”
