Marcus slowly stood.
Thomas whispered, “We need to get this to Eleanor.”
Marcus nodded.
For once, there was no hesitation.
No need to prove himself.
No attempt to solve everything alone.
He pulled out his phone.
“No signal.”
Thomas checked his.
Nothing.
Lena looked toward the end of the corridor.
“There’s an emergency stairwell.”
Marcus turned to her.
“Does it have reception?”
“Sometimes.”
That was enough.
They began moving again.
Then Marcus heard a voice behind them.
A calm male voice.
“You’re making this much harder than it needs to be.”
All three stopped.
Marcus slowly turned around.
At the far end of the corridor stood a man.
He wore a dark suit.
His face was partially hidden by the shadows.
But Marcus recognized the black briefcase immediately.
The man smiled.
The same smile he had given Marcus in the lobby.
Marcus stepped in front of Thomas and Lena.
“Who are you?”
The man took one slow step forward.
“That is the wrong question.”
Marcus tightened his grip on the flashlight.
“Then what should I be asking?”
The man looked directly at him.
“You should be asking why Richard Bennett is so desperate to find you.”
Marcus felt his heartbeat accelerate.
“What do you know about Bennett?”
The man smiled again.
“A great deal.”
Then he raised the black briefcase slightly.
“And if you want the truth, Officer Cole…”
The smile disappeared.
“You’re going to have to decide who you trust.”
The lights above them suddenly went out.
And the underground corridor disappeared into darkness.The lights went out so suddenly that Marcus barely had time to breathe.
One moment, the underground corridor was illuminated by weak fluorescent bulbs.
The next, everything disappeared.
Darkness swallowed the walls.
The pipes.
The hidden surveillance camera.
Even the man with the black briefcase.
Thomas cursed under his breath.
Lena gasped.
Marcus immediately lifted his flashlight.
Nothing happened.
“Dead battery,” he muttered.
“Of course,” Thomas whispered.
From somewhere ahead, the stranger laughed quietly.
It was not loud.
That made it worse.
Marcus kept his body between Lena and the direction of the voice.
“Stay where you are,” he ordered.
The man answered from the darkness.
“Officer Cole, I don’t think you’re in a position to give orders anymore.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“Who are you?”
A pause.
Then the voice came again.
“Someone who has spent a very long time watching Westbridge Center.”
Thomas whispered, “He knows the building.”
Marcus heard movement.
Shoes against concrete.
But the sound echoed through the corridor, making it impossible to tell where the man was standing.
“What do you want?” Marcus asked.
“The same thing you do.”
“The truth?”
A quiet laugh.
“No.”
The answer made Marcus freeze.
“I want what the truth can destroy.”
Suddenly, Lena grabbed Marcus’s arm.
“There.”
Marcus followed the direction of her hand.
At the far end of the corridor, a small red light appeared.
An emergency exit sign.
The backup generator had activated.
Marcus immediately understood.
“Run.”
They moved.
Marcus grabbed Lena’s hand and pushed her toward the faint light. Thomas followed close behind.
Behind them, footsteps exploded through the darkness.
The man was running too.
Marcus reached the emergency stairwell first and slammed the door open.
Bright emergency lights filled the concrete staircase.
====================
Security Guard Blocked an Elderly Woman From the Executive Elevator—Then He Regret His Arrogance
====================
“Up!” Marcus shouted.
Lena hesitated.
“Parking level three is down.”
“Then he expects us to go down.”
They climbed.
One floor.
Then another.
Marcus could hear the stranger behind them.
Slow.
Unhurried.
As if he knew exactly where they were going.
By the time they reached the ground floor, Lena was breathing heavily.
Thomas pushed open the stairwell door.
The hallway beyond was empty.
Too empty.
Westbridge Center should have been filled with employees.
Instead, the lights were dim.
The elevators were stopped.
A low alarm sounded somewhere in the building.
Marcus stepped into the hallway.
“What happened?”
Thomas checked his phone.
Still no signal.
Then the emergency speakers above them crackled.
A computerized voice filled the corridor.
Attention. A temporary security malfunction has been detected. Please remain in your current location until further instructions are provided.
Marcus looked at Thomas.
“Security malfunction?”
Thomas shook his head.
“That announcement doesn’t come from the building system.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it’s not the right voice.”
Lena stared at the speaker.
“He’s inside the system.”
Marcus felt a cold pressure settle in his chest.
Someone had access to the security network.
Someone could manipulate cameras.
Disable communication.
Control access doors.
And now, apparently, make announcements throughout the building.
Marcus thought of Richard Bennett.
Then he thought of Eleanor.
“Her office.”
Thomas looked at him.
“What about it?”
Marcus began walking.
“We need to get to Eleanor.”
They moved quickly through the empty hallway.
As they approached the lobby, they heard voices.
Employees were gathering near the main entrance, confused by the sudden security announcement.
Marcus stopped behind a column.
“Wait.”
Thomas looked around.
“What are you doing?”
Marcus pointed toward the executive elevator.
A man stood beside it.
Richard Bennett.
Marcus felt immediate suspicion.
Bennett was speaking into his radio.
His expression was tense.
Lena whispered, “Is that him?”
Marcus nodded.
“Maybe he caused this.”
Before Thomas could respond, Bennett suddenly turned.
His eyes locked directly onto Marcus.
For one long second, neither moved.
Then Bennett began walking toward them.
Marcus instinctively stepped back.
“Cole!”
Marcus didn’t answer.
Bennett reached them.
“Where the hell have you been?”
Marcus stared at him.
“Investigating.”
“With whose authorization?”
Marcus hesitated.
Bennett looked at Thomas.
Then Lena.
His expression changed.
“Who is she?”
“Lena Ortiz,” Marcus said. “Maintenance.”
Bennett frowned.
“Maintenance reported you missing.”
Lena looked shocked.
“What?”
Bennett turned toward her.
“Your supervisor said you left your assigned area at nine fifteen.”
Lena’s face went pale.
“That’s impossible. I was down in the service tunnel.”
Marcus watched Bennett carefully.
“You knew?”
Bennett looked at him.
“Knew what?”
“That we were underground.”
Bennett’s jaw tightened.
“Cole, I’ve been trying to locate you for the last forty minutes.”