Free Cold Snap by Allison Brennan Page B

continued, looking around.
    Visibility was next to zero. The fog was so thick, the security lights simply provided a lighter color to the eerie mist. There were two cars parked around the side of the building, but that didn’t mean anyone was there. There were no external windows so no way to tell if anyone was inside.
    “I’m going in. Under no circumstances are you to follow, understand?”
    “You’re bossy.”
    “If you see anything, text me.” He sent her a quick message so she’d have his number. “If I don’t return in thirty minutes, or contact you, call the police.”
    “And say what? My friend just broke in to TK Clothing?”
    “Whatever you need to say to get the police here.”
    “Fine.” She pouted, but her brows were creased with worry.
    Patrick zipped up his jacket against the cold and walked along the street across from TK Clothing. There were no security cameras on the outer gates, but several were attached to the building. He took out the jammer he’d grabbed from his car, which would interfere with the cameras if they were digital. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell from this distance and would have to take the risk. He pulled his hood over his head to obscure his face if he was, in fact, recorded.
    The gates were locked, but they were electronic. He didn’t even need to call Sean for help. He decoded them in less than a minute using an app on his phone that Sean had originally written. The gate released, and Patrick slipped in. He didn’t close it all the way, in case he needed to get out fast.
    He made sure his jammer was set on high, pocketed it, and stayed close to the building. He walked around to where the cars were and touched their hoods. Both were warm, but not hot. An hour? Maybe. But it didn’t matter: people were definitely inside.
    He snapped pictures of their license plates and sent them to Jaye for identification.
    Patrick assessed the door. It, too, was a keyless entry, but different from the gate and like nothing he had hacked before. And he couldn’t risk going in without knowing the layout of the building.
    He decided to circle the building and see if there was another entrance or windows. First, he downloaded an app from the RCK server that would turn his cell phone into a listening device. He put a wireless transmitter in his ear.
    His phone vibrated. It was Elle.
    Status?
    He responded:
    Be patient.
    He almost laughed. “Elle” and “patience” didn’t belong in the same sentence.
    He set the transmitter on high and held his phone in front of him. There were voices coming from inside. He walked toward the rear of the building and the voices grew louder.
    He turned the corner and noted that there were several windows on the back facade of the building, two lit bright. Venetian blinds covered the windows, but it would be easier to pick up the conversation through glass. He hit Record.
    Through a narrow crack in the blinds he made out three distinct people, but based on the voices, there were at least four in the room. He took several pictures.
    It was the female voice that threw him off guard. She spoke English, but in a thick Chinese accent.
    “I need your assurance, Mr. Lee, that you can deliver per our agreement.”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Jonny tells me there’s a problem.”
    “There is no problem.”
    “That woman, she’s been a problem, no?”
    “She’s an annoyance, not a problem. I’ve been searched, I’m clean.”
    A male voice said, “Yet she brought a cop around.”
    “That has nothing to do with this,” Lee said.
    “Don’t be so certain,” the woman said. “I want you to find out everything about him. Who he is, what department he’s with. If I lose my merchandise, you will pay.”
    “I told you to stay off the river, but you didn’t listen.”
    The woman answered in rapid Chinese, and Patrick had no idea what she was saying. Lee, whose English had no accent, also spoke in Chinese, and the two argued until the third person said,