The Billionaire's Assistant

Chapter 36

The next day she stepped from the elevator onto her floor to find not only the original white calla lilies, but also a vase of white and pink stargazer lilies, their petals spreading vibrantly and dramatically from their dark green stems. This bouquet was somehow even more beautiful than the previous days, delicate blossoms piled so high they almost seemed buoyant, as if they floated in water instead of blooming forth into the air.

Kat closed her eyes, trying to steady herself.

Last night in the den had been amazing. They'd talked and laughed and celebrated while the heaviness and tension that was surrounding all of them momentarily dissipated. She could see the first glimpse of success reflected in their eyes and she spent the night fighting happy tears, so glad to finally be contributing in a meaningful way to the cause they'd all dedicated their lives to. Jack had held her hand in front of everyone, much to Emma's delight and Conner and Brent's amusement.

She was beginning to see more of a future with him, a way forward. They didn't have to talk about things to have a meaningful relationship, she told herself. Sometimes closeness is born of silence. And fireworks, a spark, all that is overrated. It means nothing in the long term, loyalty matters in the long term, trust. Morals. She reminded herself darkly. Even if you could be with Jove, even if he would be with you, you don't want that. He's not a good person.

She turned from the vases pointedly and sat, swiveling her chair a bit as she settled. She'd picked yesterday's task first because it felt like the most daunting and she'd wanted it out of the way, but now this task felt far more imposing. She would have to confirm the guard rotation schedules for the lobby, which meant she'd have to make 4 separate appearances to check that all guards were where the handbook placed them at all times, ensuring that the schedule hadn't been updated or adjusted.

Of all the checks the most important was the 2:16, the lobbies rotational gap they were looking to exploit. If what they'd read was true, at 2:16 someone would be able to slip from the fire exit door on the far back wall to the stairwell door and enter before a guard came into view at 2:21. Five minutes to enter, cross the back wall while hugging it to avoid facial recognition on the cameras, enter the stairwell door, and close it behind themselves without being seen. This would give which member of FES that planned to infiltrate plenty of time to climb the stairs to the 24th floor before the 2:37 window.

Kat didn't have to actually open the fire exit, didn't have to do anything illegal at this point, but she still knew the risk of being caught going up the stairwell in the lobby at that time of day for any reason. Drawing undue attention to herself was the last thing she needed, it was the last thing FES needed, and getting caught could mean Andy might nix the whole plan, deem it too dangerous now, too risky for Kat . She had one chance to do this right.

Brent had given her a lesson in disabling the fire door the night before, providing a long, technical explanation of trigger systems, tabs, and electrical interruptions that she couldn't follow until he'd finally thrown his hands up in frustration and placed a egg shaped hunk of metal in her hand that looked like a stone.

"This is a really strong magnet," he said slowly. "Run it across the doorframe till you hear a pop. Hold it there, open the door a crack, then prop it. You need me to say it again?"

"Shut up Brent," Conner called from the couch beside Emma. "You should've just explained it that way the first time, everyone thinks you and your magnets are dumb."

"You're dumb," Brent muttered.

"You're dumb," Conner called back.

Emma smiled and set a hand on his leg and he turned to her, his face instantly softening and his eyes hazing slightly as if drugged.

"Not that dumb," he corrected to Brent quickly, and Emma leaned into him as her smile grew.

She and Conner had apparently been getting closer and closer, and since Jack had broken the seal on PDA in the den by holding her hand, it seemed that Emma and Conner had decided to follow suit. Conner was different around her, sweeter, more mature.

"More responsible," Andy had noted. "At least he cleans up more. I think you guys are cute together," she'd said casually, her approval clearly pleasing Emma despite her ever present dismissal of authority.

"We might go on a trip," Emma had whispered to Kat that night in the dark, the wild, joyful glint of her eyes still visible without light.

"A trip to where?" Kat asked.

"We're not sure. Maybe the beach. Conner said he'd take me. To the real beach, not the lake."

Kat nodded, her head rustling against the pillow.

He said the ocean is so beautiful. And I know it's beautiful, obviously I've seen it before, but," She paused so long Kat turned to her, wondering if she'd fallen asleep. "I've never been there. I've never done a lot of stuff. And he makes me wanna do it, makes me wanna think about the wider world. I've only ever been in the city and I... I know there's more out there. I fight for nature but I don't get to experience it. I wanna see the kinds of things and Brent and Conner have seen, I want to see mountains and oceans and rainforests. I want to do more." She reaches out to nudge Kat. "Like you're doing."

Kat smiled, sheepish.

"I'm serious," said Emma, bringing her face close to Kat's. "You're being so brave, and so selfless, and you're doing all of this for us, because we couldn't, and I just," A smile became evident in her voice. "I'm really glad you gave me some water that day."

"Me too." Kat whispers, her heart feeling like ice. "Emma?" She asked after a beat.

"Yea?" Emma replied sleepily, clearly just drifting off.

"Emma, I have something to tell you." She didn't know what was going to come out of her mouth next, had no idea what she could tell Emma, that would make sense, that wouldn't make her seem like she had a silly crush on their target. Should she tell Emma how much it hurt that she was only hired because he wouldn't be attracted to her? That her whole body came alive when he said her name, that they had easy conversation, that she couldn't help but compare Jack to him? That he'd bought her flowers? None of it was real information, none of it was pertinent to the mission, which meant revealing it would only indicate her feelings, nothing else. She pressed her eyes shut.

"I love you." she said finally, quietly.

"I love you too girl, Emma responded, her steady breathing turning to snores seconds later.