The Watch

Payne & CO.

I was awake before anyone else in the house. Bianca was tired from the day's activities, so she was sleeping hard. I'd fallen twice and she didn't even flinch. After grabbing a little something to eat, I left everyone a note and took one of the cars. I wasn't expecting much of a drive, but getting to Payne's company took longer than expected. It was made known that Payne was on his way. I had to be very careful today.

Pulling into the underground garage, I noticed something was off. I don't know if it was because I was weary of running into Payne or if something was really wrong. The guard at the back door looked at me suspiciously as I walked up to him. I texted Haynes that I was here. The wait wasn't any longer than five minutes. The guard pressed the button for me to enter the building. I'm glad he did, because just as I entered the building, a car pulled up to the back door.

I immediately hid myself, hoping whoever it was wasn't the type to look around suspiciously. Especially after seeing someone running off like they didn't belong here. The back door opened.

"Sir, you sure did get here faster than you said you would."

"I took my private jet."

"Ah, well the men are waiting for you on the ninth floor. I hope you find everything you're looking for."

"...Have a nice day, Wade."

Is it Payne? I waited in fear as I heard the man walking towards where I'd hidden. His shoes clicked on the marble floor as he got closer and closer. From the pictures and descriptions I had been given of Payne, I can for sure say this was Payne and I was terrified. The man was huge. Like break your neck huge. I was expecting better from Nisha, but not this much better. Were they dating? Married even?

His hair is freaking amazing! I wish I could do mine like that. No! I shouldn't be thinking about how he does his hair. I should be focusing on how I was going to sneak around with him here. I would have had at least a couple of hours to work here while he drove. Taking a private jet wasn't something I thought he'd do. Although, I expected that from someone who was in a hurry. Maybe he wants to get back to Nisha soon.

"I'm on my way up." His voice resonated loudly through the long hall. I jumped in surprise. "Don't worry about me. Make sure he doesn't leave. If he does, I will wring you dry like wet laundry."

I gulped and held my throat. I'm so glad I'm not working for him. I'm so glad I refused to be his business partner. There's no way I'm going to deal with his empty threats everyday. Once Payne was out of sight, I made my way to the security room.

Me
Change of plans
Payne is here so I'm going after him

"Sir, you're a little late," Haynes noted. "What happened?"

"...Payne's here earlier than I expected," I said. "Do you think you could get me up to the ninth floor without a badge?"

"No, sir. You need a badge. Lucky for you, one of the guys offered up their badge. They're due for a technological check today, so you can go in his place."

"What needs to be fixed?"

"Computers need to be checked for viruses. If you shut down the power on the ninth floor, it'll do the job. You can sneak around in the dark. I don't think he has night vision cameras."

"I wouldn't put it past him not to have any."

"Just be careful, sir." Haynes handed me a badge. "If you aren't back by the time the backup generators kick in, we're both done for."

"How much time do I have?"

Haynes turned away from me and began conversing with the other members of Payne's tech team. I just looked around, hoping to snag something else from the team. I would need night vision goggles. Who knows what I'll find up there? But, I'll need to have more than just the no lights advantage. What if Payne knows it's me? I really can't afford to mess up today.