It was empty.

Every file, every folder, had been cleared out.

I stood there, staring into the empty wooden drawer.

Then, the light in the hallway flickered.

I heard the front door lock click.

The heavy oak door swung open, and the sound of wet footsteps echoed in the foyer.

The floorboards in the foyer creaked again.

I had seconds to act.

My hand frantically searched the dark space behind the empty drawer.

My fingers caught on a heavy plastic tab.

I pulled, and a thick blue expanding folder slid out from a secret slot in the back of the mahogany desk.

I pushed the empty drawer closed.

The metallic lock clicked just as the study door handle began to turn.

I slipped behind the heavy velvet drapes near the window, my heart hammering in my chest.

The door opened.

The smell of wet wool and expensive perfume entered the room.

“He is not in here,” Sloane’s voice said.

“The light is on,” Nathan replied.

I heard him walk across the room, his leather shoes squeaking on the hardwood floor.

He stopped near the desk.