the bag Viktor tossed. Seconds later, Viktor jumped off the roof like a crazy person. Wyatt was so startled by the leap that the backpack struck him on the head.
Right before landing, Viktor shifted into his wolf. His clothes and gun fell on top of him.
“Show-off,” Wyatt muttered, rubbing the knot on his head. “They always make it look easy in the movies. You never see Jason Statham pulling a groin muscle. Tell your wolf the plan. There might be a security guy in the lobby, so I’ll need you to take a sniff while I check things out.” He gathered up Viktor’s clothes and weapon. “Since you’re in doggie mode, I’ll leave these up here by the door.”
Viktor’s wolf snatched the gun holster from Wyatt’s hand and trotted off.
Some of these old buildings didn’t have roof access, but to Wyatt’s delight, there was a hatch door made of glass. It was raised like a crypt, and when he grabbed the lower bar, it opened. Hopefully the fall hadn’t messed up his finger tattoos, but it was too dark to see anything. After descending the stairs, Wyatt got out his lockpick, put a penlight in his mouth, and went to work on the door. Blue had taught him a few techniques that had come in handy on a few occasions.
Viktor’s wolf growled impatiently.
“Got it!”
Once inside the main stairwell, they crept through the second floor. Someone had gutted the place for storage, filling it with large crates, tons of paintings covered in tarps, rugs, statues, a piano, and old weapons. He shined his light on the walls and saw nothing but tapestries. If any secret files were hidden in here, it would take him hours to find them.
“Downstairs,” he said to the wolf even though Viktor had probably blinked out of consciousness by now.
Instead of the elevator, they took the stairs. Wyatt couldn’t breathe in the ski mask, but the lights were off and it helped him blend into the shadows, so he left it on.
When they reached the first floor, Wyatt gave the grey wolf a long look. “I need to look around. Your job is to protect me. You don’t understand anything I’m saying, do you? I bet all you want is a bone.”
Based on the blueprints, the first floor didn’t have any private offices. But Wyatt still wanted to search the place, and they needed to make sure there wasn’t a security guard who might set off the alarm or make calls. He shouldered open the door and peered out. Like upstairs, it was an open space, only this room had the art tastefully displayed. To his relief, the front desk was empty. Viktor’s wolf sniffed the chair by the desk and investigated all the smells in the room while Wyatt located the elevator.
He took a deep breath and snapped his fingers, summoning Viktor’s wolf over.
“Do you even know why you’re carrying that around?” he asked, noticing slobber all over the gun belt in the wolf’s mouth.
When the elevator door slid shut, Wyatt hit the button and pressed his body against the panel to hide. All he could imagine was a man with a machine gun waiting for them when the door opened. His heart pounded as the elevator moved like molasses. Wyatt kept his eyes on the wolf. Viktor’s nostrils were twitching, but no growl settled in his throat as the elevator came to a stop.
The doors opened. Viktor’s wolf craned his neck and then stepped out of view. Wyatt took a deep breath, hooked his thumbs underneath his backpack shoulder straps, and entered a brightly lit hall. The control room was to the left, but Viktor’s wolf had already made it clear he wanted to go right.
“This way,” he whispered.
The wolf gave him a sharp look.
“Fine. But just remember it was your idea to separate.” He opened the heavy door and allowed Viktor’s wolf to dash through.
Wyatt quickly jogged back to the other door. Time was ticking.
The carpet met with white flooring, and when he passed an elevator on his left, he skidded to a stop. “That wasn’t in the blueprint.”
He continued on until he reached another door. This one had a small viewing window, so he peered inside the dark room before going inside. Feeling along the wall, he found a light switch and then looked around. None of the monitors on the right-hand wall were operating. Wyatt sat down at a computer station in the center of the room and sputtered with laughter when