That Summer Night (Callaways #6) (6 page)

"First step is the hardest," he said.

She opened the door and got out. He followed suit, meeting her at the front of the truck. Shayla was a fighter. No doubt about it.

* * *

Reid's advice about staying in the moment rang through Shayla's head as they walked down the dimly lit path to the front door of the medical building. She focused on what she needed to do: insert her I.D. card into the lockbox, press her finger against the fingerprint reader, and open the door.

Done.

They stepped into the empty lobby and walked over to the elevator. The doors opened immediately.

Two minutes later they were getting off on the third floor, making their way down another hallway to Robert's office. There were security cameras probably filming their every move, but Shayla reminded herself that she had every right to be in the building, and this wasn't the first time she'd gone to Robert's office after midnight. Robert had often worked late, and sometimes she'd come by to chat with him after she got off a shift.

But all the reason in the world did little to lessen her anxiety, and her pulse was racing by the time they got to the office of Dr. Robert Becker. Well, if she couldn't get rid of the panic, she just had to breathe through it.

She keyed in the code and opened the door, reaching for the light switch. The first office belonged to Robert's administrative assistant, who was a meticulously organized woman. Nothing was ever out of place. Behind her desk was the door leading to Robert's office, a door that was always closed and locked when Robert was away, but tonight it was open.

"The door is open," she muttered.

"Hang on," Reid said, grabbing her arm. "I'll go first."

That was fine with her, but she stuck close to Reid's back as he made his way into the room. The light from the outer office spilled into Robert's office, and Shayla's mouth dropped open when she saw the chaos inside.

"Someone broke in," she said, shocked to see Robert's files on the desk and floor, numerous papers spilling out of the manila folders. The bookshelves had been searched as well, dozens of books tossed haphazardly on the ground. Even some of the framed pictures were askew as if someone had been looking for a safe.

"Looks like someone conducted a thorough search," Reid said, a grim note in his voice as he wandered around the room. "And they didn't bother to hide that they were here."

"Who would do this?"

"I have no idea."

"And when did they do this?" She suddenly felt even more nervous about being in the empty building. What if whoever had done this was still around? "We should go. They might come back."

"We need the notebook, Shayla. Where did Robert keep it?"

"I think it was in his desk, but it looks like all his drawers were emptied."

"What does the notebook look like?"

"It's a spiral-bound book with a blue cover." She squatted down to dig through a pile of folders. Her pulse sped up as she saw a flash of blue. "It's here. They didn't take it."

She pulled it out from under some books and got to her feet, a little stunned that they'd actually found what Robert wanted. She flipped the notebook open. The first page was an illustration of a teenage boy with spiked hair and a spider tattoo on his right bicep. He wore ripped jeans, a t-shirt, and a backwards baseball cap. He was standing on a skateboard, about to head down a steep San Francisco hill. "This is it."

"Let me see it," Reid said, moving to her side.

She handed it to him. "I still don't know why he wants it."

Reid's frown grew as he flipped through several pages. "It's the story he drew when we were kids," he muttered. "I can't believe he's drawing the same pictures after all this time. Although, they're better than they used to be."

"But what value could this notebook have?"

His lips tightened as he thought about her question. "There's something hidden in here. Something that no one searching Robert's office would be able to figure out."

"Do you think this book was the target of the search?"

"It seems like a possibility." He paused, glancing around the room. "This had to have happened after the staff went home for the night. Otherwise, someone would have reported it."

Which meant it had occurred in the past several hours. She swallowed a growing knot in her throat. "Why tonight?" she asked. "What would have triggered someone to come here now? Robert has been in Colombia for months."

"But you said he came back here several times while you were out of the country."

"Yes, but my point is that the search could have been done any time before now. So what changed?" She asked the question, but she already knew the answer. "Robert called me today. That's what changed."

Reid stared back at her. "You said he was worried about someone listening in."

She nodded. "He wasn't on his phone though."

"No, but you were on your phone."

Her eyes widened. "You think someone is tapping my phone?"

"It would make sense. You talk to Robert. He asks you to get something out of his office. We show up here, and the place has been tossed. A coincidence? I don't think so. I am a little surprised there isn't more security around."

"This building is mostly offices; the lab work is done in the hospital, where there is a lot more security. I have seen a guard walk around this building after hours, but I'm not sure how often he patrols or where he comes from. There is a walkway between this building and the hospital on the second floor."

As Reid finished speaking, she heard the ding of the distant elevator. It could be the same security guard she'd just mentioned, or it could be whoever had searched the office was on their way back. "Someone is coming."

Panic ran through her as she flashed back on that moment in the clinic in Colombia when the door had burst open and the gunman had appeared.

Her breath came short and fast. She wanted to run, but where would she go? She'd have to pass whoever had just gotten off the elevator.

She told herself the person could be perfectly harmless. It was the security guard, or someone else who worked on this floor, but reason couldn't make a dent in her overwhelming and paralyzing fear.

Reid moved quickly out of the room. He turned off the light in the outer office, then came into Robert's office and shut and locked the door. Then he motioned for her to join him by the wall. If the door opened, they'd be right behind it. She doubted it would provide much defense, but it was better than nothing.

As they huddled together, she thought she heard footsteps, but maybe it was just the pounding of her heart.

Was that the outer office door opening?

She strained to hear, panic running through her veins. She had to get out of here. She couldn't breathe. There wasn't enough air. A scream welled up inside of her, but she couldn't let it out. She'd get them both killed.

Reid suddenly turned and put his arms around her, obviously sensing her distress. "It's okay," he whispered in her ear. "We're going to be fine."

She didn't believe him. She
couldn't
believe him. Fear swamped all of her senses.

A small click made her jump.

Had someone turned the doorknob?

She wrapped her arms around Reid's neck and pulled his head down to hers, needing something to do, some way to distract herself from her terrifying thoughts. Reid was the perfect life buoy in her stormy sea. She pressed her lips against his and held on to him for dear life.

Reid seemed startled at first, but soon he was kissing her back, stealing the scream from her lips. The firm pressure of his hot mouth gave her something else to think about. Her lips parted, her tongue tangling with his. She wanted to take him into her soul so she wouldn't be alone, wouldn't be afraid. She wanted to soak up his strength, his calm, to lose herself in his arms.

As the seconds passed, as a sensual haze enveloped her, she lost track of time. How long they kissed, she couldn't say. Was it seconds? Minutes? An hour? She just knew she didn't want it to end. She felt good, safe, protected, and she hadn't felt like that in a very long time.

Eventually, Reid lifted his head, the sparks of gold in his green eyes glittering in the darkness. His warm breath caressed her cheek as they clung to each other.

"I think they're gone," he murmured. "I'm going to check."

She grabbed his arm. "No, not yet. Please don't let go of me," she whispered.

She was such a freaking coward, she thought. She'd never been clingy in her life, but tonight she couldn't let go of a man she barely knew, a man she'd kissed with more intensity and passion than she'd ever kissed anyone in her life.

Reid held her for another minute. As the quiet built around them, her pulse slowed down, and she began to believe that whoever had gotten off the elevator had gone. When Reid edged toward the door, she finally let him go.

He pushed open the door a few inches, then said, "All clear."

They walked into the admin's office. It was quiet, empty, and the door was closed to the hallway. If someone had opened it, they'd gone now.

Reid opened the outer door and peered down the corridor. "I don't see anyone. Let's get out of here." He shoved the notebook under his shirt. "In case anyone is looking at the security video tomorrow."

"Oh, my God, they'll think we did this," she said.

He met her gaze. "It's possible."

"I should report it. Shouldn't I?"

"Let me think about that. For now, I think we should go."

She was torn. She didn't want to leave the safety of the office, but she also didn't want to stay in the empty building any longer. Trusting Reid's instincts, she followed him down the hall and into the elevator. They made their way out of the building without running into anyone, but she didn't take a full breath until they were in the parking lot.

Reid took the keys out of her hand as they approached the truck. "I'm driving."

She didn't argue. Her hands were shaking, and Reid was stone cold sober now.

"What's your address?" Reid asked, as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"1210 Stansbury," she said, her teeth chattering. The night was still warm, but she was suddenly shivering, a reaction to the terror-filled adrenaline still running through her body. "Take a right at the next corner. I'll direct you from there." She paused. "Who do you think was in the building?"

"Any number of people including the security guard you mentioned."

"I thought I heard the door handle turn."

"Someone checked to see if it was locked, which seems like something a security guard would do."

"So I overreacted."

"Possibly. But someone did search Robert's office. That's an undeniable fact."

She thought about that. "Have you ever seen the results of a search warrant?"

He shot her a quick look. "You think that search was done by the cops?"

"Or the FBI or the State Department, who both interviewed me in regards to what happened in Colombia and Robert's disappearance. Maybe they went through Robert's office looking for clues."

"At this point, we can't rule anything out, but did either agency give you any indication that they thought Robert was involved in something illegal or criminal?"

"No, but they were more interested in asking questions than answering them." She paused as Reid drove through the intersection near her house. "It's the white building in the middle of the block. You can drop me off out front."

"Do you live alone?"

"I have a roommate, but she's working tonight. She won't be home until the morning."

"I'm going to park," he said decisively. "I'll walk you in."

She didn't argue, happy about the thought of not going into a dark building alone.

After entering her apartment, Reid followed her down the hall. She took a quick look in each of the bedrooms and bathrooms, and everything looked exactly the way she had left it.

"It's all good," she said, blowing out a relieved breath as they returned to the living room. "As it would be. I've been letting my imagination get the best of me. You must think I'm a lunatic. Jumping at every noise, every imagined footstep." She licked her lips, thinking maybe she should also apologize for kissing him.

"I'd rather you were crazy than not aware of what's going on around you."

Nodding, she drew in a deep breath and let it out, starting to feel her pulse returning to normal. "I guess you can go now," she said a little half-heartedly. The long night loomed ahead of her, and she was way too wound up to even contemplate being able to sleep.

"Not quite yet," he replied, taking a seat on her sofa. "Do you have anything to drink?"

"Nothing alcoholic."

"Juice?"

"Probably," she said.

"Orange?"

"Yes."

"I'll take a glass."

"Okay." It seemed strange to be talking about juice after everything that had happened. But going to the refrigerator, pulling out the orange juice and pouring Reid a glass helped to settle her nerves, and she quickly realized that had no doubt been Reid's intention.

She set the juice on the coffee table in front of Reid. "Should I call hospital security and tell them what I saw?"

"Yes. Put it on speaker so I can hear."

She pulled out her phone and punched in the number.

"Security," a man answered.

"This is Dr. Shayla Callaway," she said, adopting her most professional tone. "I was just in the office of Dr. Robert Becker, and it looks like someone broke into the office."

"Is anyone hurt?"

"No, there was no one in the office. I'm not sure if anything was taken. It was a big mess."

"Are you still there?"

"No, I went home. I didn't see anyone, but I was afraid to stay in the building, so I left. I'm sorry. I probably should have gone straight to your office. I wasn't thinking straight."

"We'll check it out, Dr. Callaway. Do we have your number?"

"Yes, it's on file."

"Have you been in contact with Dr. Becker?"

"No, I haven't. I don't know where he is." She wasn’t sure if the man in security knew anything about Robert's disappearance, but she wanted to make it clear that she didn't know anything.