the office was closed, most of the lights off. Nita didn’t take any chances, though, and called Diana.
Diana picked up on the first ring, and Nita dove in without preamble. “I’m here, is everything ready?”
Diana’s voice was nervous, and a little excited. “Yes. I mean, it took a bit of work, Tácunan Law isn’t easy to hack, you know, but CCTV really is a joke security-wise and—”
“Is it off?” Nita interrupted.
“Oh. Not yet. They’ll notice when it vanishes. Do you want me to loop it instead?”
“Please.”
The sound of keys clicking echoed tinnily on the phone, and Diana said, “Okay. Annnnnnd, you’re good.”
“Excellent. Call me if there’s any issues.”
“Will do.”
Satisfied that the cameras were taken care of, Nita hung up. Her googling had revealed that Tácunan Law leased out most of the lower floors in the building, but that the upper ones, where the firm worked, were completely inaccessible from the lower floors. It had its own elevator, stairwell, and security.
Which was fine by Nita. It made things less dangerous. If there were people in her way, she knew they were employees of Tácunan Law and should be dealt with accordingly, not random employees of Habitat for Humanity who decided they should work on Saturday for some reason.
She tucked her bag close. She’d prepared for any security they found.
Nita turned to the others and nodded to Fabricio. “All right, lead the way.”
Fabricio didn’t go to the front door, he went around to the side of the glass and metal monstrosity. Nita and Kovit followed, both watching his every movement.
An emergency stairwell exit blended into the side of the building so well it was almost invisible, innocuously placed behind an artistic patch of flowers. It was the same gray as the rest of the building, and if Nita hadn’t known it was there, her eyes would probably have skimmed right past it.
Fabricio typed some numbers into the small covered keypad beside the door. The door beeped twice, and the lock clicked off.
Fabricio hauled the heavy metal door open and gestured to the entrance. “Coming?”
Nita and Kovit exchanged a look, then entered.
They ascended the stairs slowly, sterile concrete steps that went round and round, up and up. They looked like they’d barely been used, and a fine layer of dust covered the railings.
“There’s no elevator?” Kovit asked, huffing as he passed the eighth floor.
“There is.” Nita answered before Fabricio could. “But if there are security guards in the building, they’ll notice the elevator. I want to keep this under wraps if possible. We’ll kill them if we need to, but I’d rather just avoid the risk.”
Kovit grunted in acknowledgment and continued up the stairs.
She kept her blood highly oxygenated, and she thanked her past self for building muscles and getting rid of all the chemicals that inhibited muscle growth. She was the only one in the trio who wasn’t panting with exertion.
As she went, she reminded herself why she was doing this. She thought of all the valuable information she’d get from this office. All the things she could use to blackmail the black market, to bring down INHUP, to control the people who were trying to kill her and sell her body online. The key to getting rid of all her enemies lay in the building, and she was so close she could almost taste it.
It made her nervous. Every time she was this close to anything, something went wrong.
She swallowed, trying not to think of all the problems she’d still have to deal with after she got the information. She’d actually have to implement it. She’d have to twist it and craft it to get rid of the DUL, to take down the black market players.
And no matter what the information here said, it still wouldn’t help with her biggest problem, the one she still didn’t know how to face.
Her mother.
Nita shuddered softly and pushed that thought from her mind. She’d deal with her mother later. After. When she had the information and the power that came with it. Maybe it would even the playing field a bit.
But even as she thought it, she knew it was just an excuse to avoid the fact that she was no match for her mother, and she had no idea how she’d survive if her mother wanted Kovit dead and Nita back in her power.
When Fabricio finally stopped on the twelfth floor, he leaned against the wall and gasped for breath. He wiped sweat from his brow before turning to the door. Another keypad