Page 35 of Reverence

The light above us flickered as we entered.

I raised two fingers, signalling for Ares to follow my lead.

My heart hammered against my ribs, loud enough that I could hear my own pulse in my ears. Beside me, Ares’s breathing was controlled but shallow.

We approached the CCTV room and noticed the door was slightly ajar.

I held up a hand and Ares stopped.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

Then he slowly pushed the door open.

Inside, the man stood with his back to us, staring at the enormous screen displaying feeds from throughout the headquarters.

“Hands where we can see them!” Ares commanded and the man froze.

“Now!”

Slowly, he raised his hands above his head

“Turn around. Slowly.” He reluctantly complied.

His eyes darted between us before settling on our weapons.

I kept my firearm trained on his centre mass, finger indexed along the frame, ready to react if he made a sudden move.

Ares and I exchanged a brief glance and then I stepped forward.

The man remained still, but something about his body language felt wrong.

He looked apprehensive—almost as though he were caught between surrendering and making a desperate attempt to escape.

“Don’t move,” I ordered and approached carefully to secure his wrists behind his back before placing him in handcuffs.

Ares retrieved the firearm from the man’s waistband and secured it.

I tightened the cuffs, keeping a firm grip on his arm. “You’re inside a restricted area,” I said. “Do you have authorization to be here?”

We escorted him out of the CCTV room and into the hallway.

“Y-yes.” His voice trembled. “I’m part of the security team.”

Ares and I exchanged a look but neither of us believed him.

“We ran his credentials through the system and it’s fake. The access card used belongs to Special Agent, Dean Witley and he’s currently on a leave of absence, outside of the country. I also contacted Dean and his card is in his wallet, where he always keeps it.”

I said, leaning against the cabinet.

Asher listened attentively, hands on his hips.

“He won’t give us a name and he’s sticking to his story. He’s part of the security team.” Ares stated.

“We need to figure out where he got the access card and who he works for. I just spoke to the head of the security department and they don’t know who he is.” I said.

“I understand but if we don’t get any substantial evidence against him within the next 48 hours, we’ll be forced to let him go,”

Asher said, visibly stressed. “The reason we’re keeping him detained as of right now, is because he entered a restricted area inside of the Bureau which is a federal offense, he’s got fake credentials and he fired shots at security. Not to mention the access card with an agent’s name and picture on it.”