She took another step backward as Rome tugged harder on the door and stepped inside after a quick peek. His nod was barely discernable in the dim entryway. She followed him across the threshold and pulled the door softly shut behind them, enveloping them in a closefitting and slightly muggy passage.
As they moved cautiously upward through the enclosed space, she could easily see why he’d favored the ceiling ducts. According to the plans, these particular channels ran above the working laboratories, where she and Rome figured they could gather the most information in the least invasive way.
The shadowy duct was narrow and tight, with coiled wires snaking along the sides and underneath the thin, grated catwalk. Puffy silver-coated insulation lined the area above them.
Stagnant, warm air filled her lungs, making every breath heavy, and there was a constant low hum that tickled her ears. But among everything, including the various pipes that streaked above them, the space was blissfully empty and unprotected.
Carefully watching her step, she followed Rome’s shrewd maneuvering. A few more paces and Rome stopped, kneeling to the floor. Crouching next to him, she watched as he pushed aside some of the wiring and pulled out his trusty little device to cut away some of the padding that layered the ceiling below them.
Harper admired his deft precision with the knife and the way his fingers balanced between strong and graceful. He passed the fluffy padding to her and she took it, placing the chunk on the metal walkway as he leaned down on his stomach to get into a good position to peer down below.
The ceiling tiles were unusually constructed. From the little green triangles printed on the corners, she could tell that they were made from recycled metals, creating a thin layer with tiny holes constructed for optimum air circulation.
The diagrams they had studied that morning had shown that the diamond-shaped holes filtered the flow of the recycled air, making it clean. The tiles also filtered out sound, which kept the noises that shrouded them up above silent to those down below.
Harper had actually been very impressed with the green-minded health consciousness of the Five Watch. Rome had explained to her that most of the government facilities in Oregon were constructed this way.
He’d also told her he’d noticed the same construction in Bobby’s lab on that fateful night when they’d first met. Of course, he would notice everything. All she’d seen that night was her brother’s workplace in shambles.
Shaking away her thoughts, she saw Rome slowly pull the wires back to their original position and then gesture for her to join him by lying flat opposite his prone pose on the catwalk. He pointed down and then brought his hand up to motion her to listen and watch.
The view through the shimmery metal tiles was hazy but workable. The room below appeared to be the same lab they’d just been in. Rome must have thought the man and the person who called would meet there, in the same lab. He’d estimated they’d have sixty-five minutes to investigate before his tinkering with the electronics was discovered. Checking her watch, they had about twenty-nine minutes left.
The door thumped open, almost startling a jump out of her. Harper cringed and glanced up to see Rome place a finger in front of his sensuous mouth in a shushing motion. With an apologetic smile, which elicited a sexy grin from him, she returned her glance to the lab below.
Crisp footsteps clacked across the hard floor out of her range of vision. She looked back down and saw a man wearing a white lab coat approach the table with the laptop. He faced her. She couldn’t make out his features, given her high angle, but she was pretty certain it was the same nervous guy they’d hidden from. He had apparently returned to the lab in the time it took her and Rome to get to the ceiling.
The body that belonged to the clacking shoes came into her view, joining Lab Coat at the computer. Another man. He stood at Lab Coat’s side, his face visible to her, but not one she recognized.
Harper sensed Rome tense. His face was tight with fury. Shoulders bunched, he appeared ready to pounce and tear something apart with his bare hands. And she didn’t doubt that he could.
She reached over to carefully brush the back of his clenched fist with her fingers, trying to get his attention without startling him and blowing their cover. It took a long moment, but his stormy blue gaze met hers.
“Trouble?” she mouthed, watching him struggle to breathe normally. He was obviously rattled.
Rome shook his head firmly in answer, returning his concentration to the scene below, clearly dismissing any other distractions. Shrugging her shoulders, she did the same.
“How’s the next batch?” Clacker’s voice was muted, but understandable, and a touch irritated.
“The same as the others,” Lab Coat answered with a sigh, sounding skittery and worried. “I don’t think it’s going to work.”
“Think?” Clacker asked tightly, slamming his hand on the counter and causing the laptop to shudder. Harper blinked in surprise. “Dr. Blake, I’m getting tired of what you think. I need a working serum, not the knockoffs you’re giving me. Stop thinking and start doing.”
“It’s not that easy, Jeff,” Dr. Blake explained.
Jeff. Was that Rome’s boss, Jeff? A quick peek at Rome’s white knuckles and she knew she was right. Did this mean Jeff was in on all of this?
“I don’t care whether it’s easy or not,” Jeff said, pressing. “Give me a good serum.”
“You don’t understand,” Dr. Blake pleaded. “It just doesn’t work that way. We don’t have the original formula. We’re trying to work from the plant extractions, but without the true formula, it will take time to recreate it. It’s hit-and-miss.”
“It’s killing my men,” Jeff countered, pounding his hand on the table once more. “ She’s killing my men.” Did Jeff mean her? A small bubble of pleasure welled up inside of Harper.
“I know, and I’m sorry.” Dr. Blake actually sounded remorseful. “But she has the original formula in her system. And trying to extract it from her blood is working the same way as extracting it from the plants. It’s essentially diluted. Secondhand. Besides, I told you when we started that we shouldn’t use human subjects until we reconstructed the original serum. My instincts are telling me this is never going to work.”
Jeff moved closer to the doctor and grabbed him by his white lapels, bunching the fabric in his grip and pulling him close. Harper leaned forward in a reflexive response and noticed Rome did the same.
“Your instincts?” Jeff yelled, just inches away from the doctor’s face. “Instincts are what made me launch this project. Agent Lucian’s failed instincts killed good people. This serum will prevent that from happening again. So don’t talk to me about your instincts.”
Harper snuck a glance at Rome. His rugged face was strained with agony. Evidently Jeff had used Rome’s one failure to prompt his own evil plan. And they’d both been caught up in it. She itched to reach over and soothe his suffering. But any movement would call unwanted attention.
“You knew what you were getting into, Doctor,” Jeff said, rolling the doctor’s coat in his hands even tighter.
“Losing the formula data in the fire has made my job very difficult,” Dr. Blake sputtered.
“It’s your job to produce the serum, so I can do my job by using superior agents.” Jeff’s voice was hard and controlled. “Dr. Kane was able to do it with the plants. You should be able to reproduce it for humans using those plants.” The mention of her brother stung Harper to the core. Jeff released the doctor with a little shove, and then backed off to glare at him. “No more excuses. Do your job, Dr. Blake, or else.”