The Break In

A day before the wedding, Nick and Adam sat in their dimly lit office, tension thick in the air. They had spent hours planning Jane's rescue, but there was another problem—Paul.

Nick leaned forward, his jaw clenched. "I have a plan," he said, voice low. "Paul has a habit of keeping copies of everything. I'm sure he has one hidden somewhere."

Adam frowned. "One copy must be on his phone. But the other…"

"We need to find out where it is." Nick's eyes darkened with determination. Then, suddenly, an idea struck him. "Adam, Paul's assistant—Luke. He's our only shot."

Adam stiffened. "Nick, Luke is Paul's best friend. If we approach him, he might betray us. It's too risky."

Nick shook his head. "We don't have time for another way. Paul comes to the office every day, and we already know his routine. He only ever goes two places—his office and his penthouse. Nowhere in between."

Adam ran a hand down his face. "Even if we get to his penthouse, it's locked with fingerprint access. How do we get past that?"

Nick's frustration boiled over. "I don't know! But we need—"

A sudden knock on the door made both of them freeze.

Their eyes darted to the iPad they had been using to plan. In an instant, Adam grabbed it and shoved it under a pile of files.

The door opened.

Luke stepped inside, his expression unreadable.

Nick and Adam tensed.

Had he heard them?

Luke walked over to Nick's desk and set down a file. "Need your signature."

Nick cleared his throat, forcing himself to act normal. He quickly signed the document. "Where's Paul?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.

Luke smiled slightly. "At the wedding venue. He and Miss Jane are getting married tomorrow."

Nick swallowed hard. 

"Very well," he said, keeping his face expressionless.

Luke turned to leave but then hesitated.

Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He placed it on Nick's desk. "I hope this helps," he murmured before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

Nick and Adam exchanged wide-eyed glances.

Nick and Adam exchanged wide-eyed glances.

Cautiously, Nick opened the box. Inside was a thin strip of plastic. He held it up to the light and sucked in a breath.

Fingerprints.

Paul's fingerprints.

Nick's heart pounded as he noticed a small note beneath the strip.

Morning. 7 AM. 4525.

Adam exhaled sharply. "Luke… he wants us to go to Paul's place at 7 AM."

They didn't question why. They didn't have time to.

The next morning, before the sun even rose, Nick and Adam sat in a rental car outside Paul's apartment.

The city was eerily quiet, the sky still a deep shade of blue.

Nick's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "We're early."

Adam checked his watch. 5 AM.

They had two hours to wait.

They watched as time crawled by, every passing second stretching their nerves to the breaking point.

Finally, at exactly 7 AM, Paul stepped out of the building, dressed in his wedding suit, Luke following behind him.

As soon as Paul's car disappeared down the street, Nick turned to Adam. "Stay in the lobby. Keep watch."

Adam nodded and got out.

Nick pulled up his mask and entered the building.

The ride to the 27th floor felt like an eternity. When the doors finally slid open, he stepped into the empty hallway.

No guards.

Good.

His hands were steady as he took out the fingerprint strip and pressed it against the scanner.

A beep.

The door clicked open.

Nick slipped inside.

The penthouse was silent, cold.

Moving quickly, he found Paul's office and rushed in.

His eyes scanned the room. No safe. No obvious hiding spots.

Then, his fingers tightened around the note Luke had given him.

4525.

The laptop.

Nick spotted it on the desk. He opened it, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he typed in the numbers.

The screen unlocked instantly.

He muttered a quiet thank you to Luke under his breath and clicked through the files.

One folder caught his eye.

Personal.

He opened it.

Hundreds of video clips.

Nick's stomach turned as he clicked on one. Jane's face appeared on the screen—terrified, helpless. The footage was from the night she was taken.

There wasn't time to watch them all.

He grabbed a USB from his pocket and started transferring everything.

Then, he noticed another folder.

Photos.

There was only one picture inside.

Nick's jaw tightened.

It was the photo. The one Paul had used to blackmail him.

Without hesitation, he transferred it to the USB and deleted the original. Then, he made sure it was wiped clean from the laptop entirely.

He had just closed the laptop when—

The door clicked open.

His heart stopped.

Someone was inside.

Nick dove behind the cabinet, pressing himself against the wood as silent as death.

Footsteps.

Paul.

Nick held his breath, every muscle in his body coiled tight.

Paul paused just outside the study. He didn't move for several seconds.

Nick could feel his suspicion.

Then, Paul took a step forward.

Nick squeezed his eyes shut. One more step and he'd be caught.

But then—

"Paul."

Luke's voice.

Paul turned. "What?"

"The rings. You left them in the car."

A heavy silence. Then, Paul let out a breath. "I thought I lost them for a second."

Nick heard rustling—Paul taking the box from Luke's hand.

Then, footsteps.

The door shut.

Silence.

Nick finally released the breath he had been holding.

He waited.

One minute.

Two.

Then, carefully, he peeked through the window.

Paul's car pulled away from the building.

Nick clutched the USB in his fist.

He had what he came for.

Now, it was time to get out.