White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(38)

I can do this, she told herself. I have a get-out-of-jail-free letter and nothing bad will actually happen to me if I’m caught.

But she didn’t want to get caught, because she was just as invested in gaining entry to that server room as Ian was.

Kate walked up to the server-room door, looked around one last time to make sure no one was watching, and bent down and slid the wire under it, angling it upward.



The tech whose cubicle was right outside the server room was in the middle of a wicked coughing attack. Ian waited until it had subsided and then materialized at his side. “You sound like you could use some water. Do you want me to keep an eye on things while you get a bottle from the break room?”

“No thanks, man. I’m good.”

“Have you been to the doctor?”

“I’m going later today. Can’t get in until five thirty, so I’m stuck here for a while longer.” He started coughing again, barely covering his mouth, and Ian flinched.

“I’m not a doctor, but that sounds like an upper respiratory tract infection. Cough, congestion, chills. Maybe a fever, although it probably won’t get too high. Of course, it could be the flu.”

“God, I hope not. I had it last year. I was sicker than a dog.”

Over the man’s shoulder, Ian caught a glimpse of Kate near the server-room door, and then her head ducked out of sight. He anticipated she would need five to ten seconds to slip the wire under the door and trigger the sensor.

All he had to do was keep this guy talking.



Nothing happened when Kate waved the hand warmer in what she thought would be the vicinity of the sensor. There was no audible click to let her know it had been tripped. She twisted her elbow, attempting to slide it farther under the door so she could get the wire up higher. The sound of voices reached her ears, and two people engrossed in conversation rounded the corner at the far end of the hall. She flung the wire under the door and listened as it skittered across the server-room floor and hit something with a thud. With her heart pounding and only moments to spare, she stood and pushed on the door handle. Maybe she hadn’t heard the click over the whirring of the machinery, but the door opened and Kate slipped inside.



Ian sat down on the edge of the tech’s desk. “Have your symptoms worsened in the past twenty-four hours? Are you having trouble breathing?”

“What?” He seemed irritated by the questions. “No.”

“I never get sick. I’m impervious to germs.”

“Good for you. That must be nice.”

“Oh, it is.”

“Is there something you need?”

The server door opened and he caught a glimpse of the back of Kate’s head as she disappeared inside, pulling the door closed behind her. That’s my girl.

“Yes. I wanted to let you know tech support will be doing a company-wide update overnight. I’m just helping to spread the word in case you didn’t get the e-mail. If you could log off before you leave, that would be great.”

“Sure, whatever.” A sheen of sweat coated the guy’s brow.

Ian’s heart rate quickened when two men walking side-by-side, one of whom he recognized as the assistant IT manager, stopped in front of the server room. The assistant manager swiped his badge and they went inside.



Kate worked quickly, moving down the rows of servers, opening the glass-front doors and wedging Ian’s business cards into the corner of the racks holding the equipment. She took several pictures of herself standing in various parts of the room in front of the servers. Her mission was nearly complete when she heard the door open and the sound of people talking. Kate froze when the two men came into view. Trying to slow her galloping heart rate, she ignored them as she walked past with her head down, folder held open, pointing at invisible items as if she were going through a checklist.

“Excuse me?” one of them said when she had almost reached the door.

She turned around, acting as if she was surprised to see them there. “Yes?”

“What department are you from?” He looked older than the employee who was standing next to him, and he was wearing dress pants and a shirt and tie.

“Legal. I’m conducting an audit.”

“My boss didn’t say anything about an audit.” He would have if he’d known about it, she thought.

She looked at him pointedly. “I’m sure he didn’t.”

“What kind of an audit is it?”

She appeared thoughtful and confident. “I can’t divulge that, but you’ll be happy to know you passed with flying colors. Your boss will be so pleased. Keep up the good work.”

Their expressions softened, and the man in the tie even smiled. The first step in manipulating people was to tell them they were doing a good job. All anyone wanted to hear was how much value they brought to an organization. If the men didn’t push back too hard, maybe their boss would have some glowing praise for them in the morning.

Kate smiled back and walked out.



The door to the server room opened, and Ian watched Kate emerge and walk toward the stairwell.

“Well, hey. I hope you feel better. You should stay home tomorrow.” He had to raise his voice in order to be heard above the man’s coughing attack.

The man waved him away. “Yeah, maybe I’ll do that.”