YELLOW

PART 20

As evening descended, we found ourselves parked in the black Range Rover outside the building. Anastasia was already inside, seamlessly executing our plan. She knew exactly what to do.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, my voice laced with concern as I adjusted my headphones.

"Everything's fine; the area is clear," she replied confidently. But then I heard her flirtatious tone as she added, "Oh guys, I'm having trouble finding something in the archives." I could picture her, her legs crossing just so, her hair cascading effortlessly as she drew the attention of the two guards trailing her. It was a tactical distraction, and she was a master at it.

I glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror: a black hoodie obscured most of my features, leaving only my blue eyes visible. I wore gloves, ready for what lay ahead. Flávio, dressed in a dark green hoodie, mirrored my look. We shared a brief nod of understanding before we exited the vehicle, adrenaline coursing through our veins as we sprinted up the incline toward the entrance.

Flávio set his backpack down and pulled out a knife, slicing through the leather of his glove just enough to draw blood. He pressed his palm against the small access panel, and the screen lit up with "Access Granted." The door swung open, and we slipped inside, the darkness swallowing us.

As the door closed slowly behind us, I could hear the locks engaging, sealing us in. In that moment, I realized there was no turning back—only the path ahead. The weight of what we were about to do pressed down on me, but there was a sense of purpose that ignited my resolve. We were in this together, and failure was not an option.

Flávio seemed to be familiar with the building as he communicated with Garrett through his earpiece. "Now," he said, and then fell silent. It was dark, but we had a red flashlight that helped us identify if any security alarms were activated.

In the dim light, we spotted a few lines glowing green in the air, indicating that if we even brushed against them, a group of guards would be alerted, and our lives would be in grave danger.

We crawled on the floor, carefully avoiding the various traps that had been set up. It didn't take long for us to reach the enormous glass elevator, especially as the lights flickered back on.

Everything was unfolding according to our plan. We stepped into the elevator, and as I cracked my neck, I let the rush of ascending fill me with the determination I needed to confront Robert.

Upon entering his office, we realized he wasn't there. But he would return soon, which is why we had to hurry.

"Where do you think he hides his secrets?" I whispered to Flávio as we scanned the room. This time, no camera would catch me, as I had already sabotaged the system to loop the same image repeatedly. Even if he checked the footage, he wouldn't discover our presence.

"If you were a man with a big ego and a dark heart, what would you use to conceal your dirty secrets?" Flávio suggested, hinting with his gaze toward a large painting on the wall.

It was a portrait of Robert himself.

"The portrait," I said, moving closer to it. As I examined the frame, I noticed it was smudged with fingerprints, indicating it had been touched recently.

We carefully removed the painting from the wall, revealing the safe behind it.

"What now? We don't have the code," I said, frustration creeping in. Flávio approached the safe and began pressing a few numbers. To my surprise, it clicked open.

"How did you do that?" I asked, a smile breaking across my face, feeling for once that good fortune was on our side.

"This man's ego," Flávio chuckled. "He used his dog's birthday as the code." He started pulling out several small USB drives from inside the safe.