They arrived too soon for her liking. She climbed out of the car and looked up. The building was little more than a wall of black glass that acted like a mirror, reflecting the myriad of lights from Federation Square. Black marble steps led up to the foyer doors, which were also black glass with gold fittings. The whole place reeked of money. How could Jack afford to own an apartment here? He earned the same salary she did, and she wouldn't be able rent a bathroom in a place like this. Besides, he'd been having trouble keeping up with the payments on his Mulgrave home. If he owned this, why would he even bother?
Gabriel headed up the steps, and she reluctantly followed. A doorman, dressed in gray and gold, nodded politely and keyed open the huge glass doors.
She shook her head. How could anyone at State have missed this? If SIU had known about the apartment, surely State must have known — and that, in itself, suggested the apartment was legit. Anything shady would have brought down an investigation quicker than Jack could fart.
Their footsteps echoed sharply in the cavernous foyer. The huge reception desk was actually manned, rather than having the usual hands-on computer help. The tall blonde woman smiled as they approached, and her smile didn't falter when Gabriel flashed his badge.
"Could you tell me if the occupant of apartment eight-eleven is currently in?"
The woman looked at her monitors. "No, he's not."
"Good. We need you to open it up for us."
"I can't do that, sir."
"Yes, you can. I have a warrant."
He pulled out his cell phone and pressed a few buttons. The woman studied the screen for a few minutes, and then nodded. "I can use the cleaning code to give you access, but the time will still be limited to half an hour. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that — I haven't got the clearance to change the programming."
"Half an hour will do."
The woman pressed a white button near the monitor. "I've called the elevator. It will take you straight to the eighth floor. Mr. Kazdan's apartment is on the right."
"Thank you for your assistance."
The woman nodded. "I will, of course, have to call Mr. Kazdan and inform him of your warrant and search."
"And you will, of course, inform us when Kazdan enters the building."
The blonde nodded a second time. Sam walked over to the elevators. Once the doors slid open, she stepped inside. Gabriel followed.
"I thought you didn't want Jack to know we're here," she said, as the elevator began to rise.
He shrugged. "All we need is enough time to see what's on those disks. I doubt whether Kazdan will actually turn up."
"Don't underestimate him," she said softly. "He has a mind as fast as his temper. He'll be ready for a move such as this."
His eyes were a subtle green under the elevator's soft light. Green and cold, she thought.
"I don't underestimate anyone," he said.
Including her, obviously. While his distrust rankled, she understood it. Hell, even she wasn't certain where her loyalties should lie.
The elevator came to a smooth halt on the eighth floor. He looked out and then motioned her forward. The door to Jack's apartment slid open as they neared. She hesitated in the doorway, her stomach churning as she stared down at the line where the carpet's plush gray carpet met the rich burgundy carpet of Jack's apartment. If she stepped past that line, what she discovered might forever alter her relationship with the one person she'd allowed closer than arm's length.
"You intend to stand there forever?" While Gabriel's voice had no inflection, his eyes held a hardness that suggested he understood her sudden reluctance to enter.
"We only have half an hour," he continued.
He touched a hand to her back, but didn't push. She licked her lips and stepped inside. The room was sparsely furnished. A large leather sofa faced the ceiling high wall of glass running the length of the apartment. An entertainment center covered the wall to her left, and a black glass dining table sat in the middle of the room. The apartment had no kitchen or autocook. Maybe it was fully serviced — not that a vampire had any need for it. Two doors led off the main room, and both were closed.
She shoved her hands into her pockets and walked across to the window. The faint strains of a jazz band drifted up from Federation Square. The whole place was ablaze with light and sound and people enjoying life. It was a feeling so different from the one she was getting from this apartment that it might as well have been another world
She rubbed her arms and turned around. "The com-unit must be in one of the other rooms."
He nodded and waved a hand toward the only two interior doors in the apartment "Care to pick one?"
Both looked identical, but the carpet leading up to the one on the left had definitely seen more traffic. "Left door."