“Enough to ensure I never have to work for a man who lets his emotions dictate his business,” Marcus said.

The progress bar hit seventy percent.

I looked at the terminal screen, my eyes catching a line of code at the bottom of the security log.

*AUTH_USER: E_BROOKS_MD.*

I typed the doctor’s name into the password field, followed by the year of my first examination.

The screen blinked.

*ACCESS GRANTED.*

“Damon!” I screamed. “Now!”

Damon lunged forward, throwing his weight into Marcus’s chest before the security chief could react.

The gun went off with a deafening roar, the bullet ricocheting off the steel ceiling in a shower of sparks.

The two men crashed onto the concrete floor, the tablet flying from Marcus’s grip and sliding across the room.

I scrambled on my hands and knees, reaching for the tablet as it spun toward the base of a server rack.

The screen was cracked, but the blue progress bar was still climbing.

*88%… 90%…*

“Cancel it!” Damon shouted, struggling to pin Marcus’s arms as the larger man fought back with brutal efficiency.