The Thief and the Alpha (Book One of the Warrior Series) ✔️

- Chapter 35 -

The stairs seemed endless. Flight after flight, we jogged, my legs beginning to burn as we began reaching the higher levels of the building. Vadim kept pace with me effortlessly, no signs of strain showing on his face.

I kept my breathing even, my heart dropping slightly as I realized that we were only on the 46th floor. My legs had begun to burn, small pinpricks of pain shooting up my aching muscles with every step that I took. Though I knew that if I continued at this pace the pain would soon become sharp, I couldn't stop. After all, the longer we stayed in the building, the higher the chance of one of our scents being detected. We couldn't risk it.

I willed my legs to move, my resolve hardening once more as I thought of Jaxon, Kasey, Alex, James and Norah. My family. If I failed here, I failed them all.

I instead focused on the rhythm of the stairs, allowing the monotonicity of the motions seep in. Right, left. Right, left. One step at a time.

We continued like that for a long time. Right, left, a steady jog up the stairs. Keeping out footsteps silent, our breathing quiet. The dull, white walls of the stairwell becoming even cleaner and more pristine the higher we went. The concrete stairs began to be plated with wood as we reached the 50th floor, and the floor numbers on the exit doors became much more ornate. I deducted that we had probably reached the floors where higher ranking members worked.

Vadim's mouth had taken on a seemingly unintentional scowl the higher we traveled up the servant's staircase. Bad memories, I suppose.

After what seemed like a millennium of climbing, we reached the top floor. I didn't let myself smile, my mind unable to process anything that wasn't related to the mission. My thoughts were eerily calm, with the only information I could process being about my surroundings and the plans.

Vadim and I shared a loaded glance before I placed my hand on the polished door handle, my gloves gripping the smooth metal easily. Vadim furrowed his eyebrows for a few moments listening. Finally, he nodded, and I opened the door slowly.

As all of the doors before this one, the hinges were well maintained, and the door opened without a sound. My eyes immediately scanned the well-lit hallway that we had emerged into, with glass walls displaying all of the offices in the hallway. The only opaque walls were the ones separating the offices themselves, and the ones at the end of the hallway.

The insides of the offices were perfectly maintained, almost sterile looking. There was no personal items in the offices, with the style of office chair being the only thing that showed any semblance of difference in style taste.

One end of the hallway led to a dead end, with a window at the end of it showing the north side of the building. I quickly glanced over the construction crane there, noting the distance between the building and the crane. I archived the information for later; worst comes to worst, I would be able to use the bomb the research pack emissary provided on the window and make my escape through there.

The other end of the hallway had a t-way intersection, and while I wasn't able to see what was in that hallway from where we were standing, from what Vadim had told me beforehand, I knew that there was the second-in-command office at one of the end of it.

I began prowling through the hallway, the pristine dark hardwood floors barely making any sounds as Vadim followed me. I quickly peeked around the corner of the t-way intersection, noting the aforementioned entrance to the second-in-command office at the right end of the hallway. The left end was a longer stretch, the hanging bar lights illuminating the space well and reflecting off of the polished floors.

The end of the hallway cut off into a corner intersection, which I knew led to the grand stairwell leading into Alexei's office. I could hear the guards faint voices traveling down the hallway, making me shoot a look to Vadim, who nodded, stalking down to the second-in-command's door.