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"Kat…" he sighed her name
"I’m sorry, Hale I’m sorry I didn’t tell you And I’m sorry…I’m just sorry, okay?"
He didn’t say it was okay He didn’t tell her she was forgiven He just sank to the cold, hard floor and pulled his knees to his chest, like a little boy hiding in his father’s closet
They couldn’t leave without being heard, couldn’t turn on a light without being seen, so Kat joined him on the floor and whispered, "What do we do now?"
"We wait"
Over the next several hours, they heard Garrett typing on his keyboard He made a series of overseas calls and spoke badly accented Chinese and French, a little German that Kat was able to pick up But
Eventually she felt herself leaning against Hale, and he didn’t protest The night grew longer, and Kat’s head grew heavier, and at some point she must have rested on his chest She closed her eyes Hale’s ar around her, and there was no place else she wanted to be
"Kat" Hale’s whisper broke into her thoughts, but she didn’t stir "Kat" He shook her shoulder "I think he’s gone"
Part of Kat knew she should have felt foolish for falling asleep on the job, but another part was so happy to have Hale’s arms around her, to feel his breath on her skin
"Hi," she told him
"Hi, yourself," he said
Still half asleep and groggy, Kat squinted up through the shadows of the tiny space and into Hale’s eyes It was the closest they’d been in weeks Whatever had stood between theainst hers His fingers wove into her hair, holding her close, gripping her tightly It was the hungriest kiss she’d ever known, and Kat let herself get lost in it Forget Tell herself that there was nothing they couldn’t do as long as they were together
But, then again, they were currently trapped in a closet on the thirty-seventh floor of a well-secured high-rise in the
"Sorry," Hale said, breaking the kiss and pulling away
"No, Hale," Kat said one more time, "I’m sorry I should have told you about the will as soon as I heard"
"Let’s just get out of here, okay?" He struggled to his feet and pressed an ear against the door Aout into the dark cold office and gesturing for Kat to follow
The door wasvent anduntil they reached another grate Hale juht her, held her there
"You okay?" he asked
She nodded
"So what happens now?"
It was an excellent question, and Kat wasn’t quite sure how to answer
"I think we’re going to need someone who knows more about the company than we do Someone inside Maybe your parents? Your mom seemed nice"
"My mom’s a better con artist than I am"
"What about Silas? We could tell hiht flickered on "Tell eneral rule, getting caught is never, ever good It was the first rule of the family, so Kat didn’t knohether to feel ashalea rooht?" Kat asked
His suit coat hung over the back of a chair, and his bow tie was loose around his neck Papers and drawings were scattered on the desk in front of him, and Kat could see a half-empty takeout container and tall cup of coffee
"Funny," Silas said "I could be asking the saave a nervous giggle "If you don’t , Mr Hale She’s a keeper" He pointed in Kat’s direction
It was undeniable, Kat thought Silas was a dork And Kat couldn’t help herself--she liked hiht of a desk lamp, Kat watched Silas’s eyes as he looked around the rooanized workstations Whiteboards covered one entire wall, each filled with e Kat couldn’t begin to understand But like any good con artist, Kat was fluent in the language of people
"Silas," she said, "what’s going on?"
"I love this lab I aer in your ehter in here" Silas studied Hale "Why do I get the feeling you aren’t surprised to hear that?"
"Garrett can’t do this," Hale was saying "He can’t just…fire you You--"
"Created Genesis?" Silas filled in "The product that didn’t work? The biggest euy And I’ave an odd little bow, then added with a wink, "Of course, I’ned the security system, so they can’t keep litch," Hale said "It ork eventually"
"No, Mr Hale It did work It worked perfectly In fact, the last tirandmother, it was to tell her that I was finished I tested it myself And then I put it in there" He spun and pointed to a safe
"Silas," Hale said, "are you saying…"
"Whatever itat the launch, it wasn’t the prototype I made No, sir I just don’t kno anyone could have switched them I kept the prototype locked up until the moment of the deure out how they got inside this It’s state of the art," the man added
"Do you mind?" Kat asked, and Silas stepped aside
"What do you think?" Hale asked