let the van stop before slipping into the thick of trees outside the Richter walls.
Unlike everyone else, she worked alone. At least this early in the game.
“We’re in,” she heard Neil call out.
Sasha stopped at the edge of the wall surrounding the school and pulled out a frequency jammer and placed it between the two sensors. With the window open to cloak her entry, she tossed her bag over first, took three steps back, then ran, jumped, and scaled the wall. With her toys back in her bag, she headed straight for the dining hall.
Breaking into Richter was a hell of a lot easier than breaking out . . . at least when Claire had her own personal ninja escort with lots of toys at their disposal.
Their party of four followed her as they moved closer to the administration building.
Lights filled the arches and pathways leading to the auditorium.
The dorms were relatively dark, with the exception of students peering out windows to get a glimpse of the event taking place below.
“In position,” Neil announced.
Claire looked up to the roofline where Neil was supposed to be but saw nothing.
“East side of the administration building,” Cooper told him.
“Copy. I see you.”
Claire kept her back to the wall, pointed at the motion detector lights, and slid alongside it. Once at the door, she let Cooper pass. Grabbing her key fob before leaving Richter the first time hadn’t crossed her mind, so Cooper was up. He put some kind of magnetic gizmo on the door and within seconds the lock clicked open. Inside, she led them down the stairwell, light on her feet. Two security doors later and they emptied into the senior computer room.
She took one step and Cooper tossed out an arm to stop her.
Voices. Several of them cackled with a buzz of excitement.
Claire snuck a glance around the wall and pushed Cooper aside. “Busted!” she announced as she bounded around the corner.
Jax, Blane, Alina, and Stacey all jumped to their feet. One chair fell back and hit the floor with a crash.
Jax caught on first. “Oh my God. Look at you! What are you doing here?” She ran at her, arms wide.
Claire caught her BFF in a full hug and looked behind her. “I brought a few friends.”
“What the hell is going on down there?” She heard Neil in her ear.
“Looks like we have four students that are not in their beds,” Cooper told him.
“Damn it.”
“Chill out, Neil. These guys are solid.”
Jax looked at Claire like she was crazy. “Who are you talking to?”
Claire pointed to the tiny microphone positioned right in front of her lips. “Shh.”
“Are you secure?” Neil asked.
Cooper responded an affirmative and brushed past Claire.
He dragged several devices from his bag and pushed his way in front of the main computer in the room.
“What’s going on?” Blane asked.
Claire pushed her microphone aside and motioned for her friends to move back. “We just need to hijack the computer for a little while.”
“No one leaves until we do,” Cooper said loud enough for everyone to hear.
“These guys are awesome. I’ll explain later.”
“Claire, you’re up.”
Claire grabbed Jax’s hand and led her away from their friends.
“Cooper, this is Yoda.”
Jax pushed her arm. “You told him?”
“The question is, Did you tell anyone else?” Cooper asked.
Jax looked at him like he was crazy. “No.”
Claire exchanged glances with Cooper. She stared down at the computer.
With her fingers intertwined, Claire cracked her knuckles and sat down. With one of their team at the door, Cooper, Claire, and Lars went to work.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Isaac opened the back door of the town car and AJ stepped out.
“See you on the inside,” he said with a pat to Isaac’s back.
AJ lifted his cuff to straighten his coat. “I’m going in.”
“Copy,” he heard Neil’s voice.
His chest ached with the hard thump of his heart. He had to admit to liking the adrenaline swishing through his veins. Maybe he’d found something slightly more dangerous than stealing cars to make him happy. He stepped up to the man at the front door. Older gentleman, astute in his stance, gray hair and watchful eyes, exactly what Sasha had described.
In his hands he had a list of names. AJ stepped up when it was his turn.
“You must be Charlie,” AJ said.
The man’s eyes met his. “Sir?”
AJ glanced down at the list. “Hofmann.” He waited a moment, saw Charlie find his family name. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” AJ said.
“Is that so?”
“All good things.” He hesitated. “My parents should be joining me shortly if they’re