I paid the driver in cash and stepped out into the rain.

The wind off the river was biting, cutting through my thin sweatshirt.

I pulled the hood tighter and approached the fence.

I knew the layout of the site.

I had reviewed the construction budgets and physical blueprints a hundred times during my audit of Apex’s capital expenditures.

There was a gap in the fence near the southern retention pond where the contractors had run out of wire.

I squeezed through the wet gap, the metal scraping against my back.

I walked quickly across the gravel yard, my shoes sinking into the mud.

The main entrance to the tower was boarded up with thick plywood, but there was a utility entrance near the loading dock.

I reached the metal door and pulled a plastic security keycard from my pocket.

I had taken it from Ethan’s desk drawer the night I fled our home.

I swiped the card against the unlit reader.

A small beep echoed in the quiet air, and the magnetic lock clicked open.

I slipped inside, closing the heavy door behind me.