Nell—Claire—followed Callen—Dexter—through the dim, luxurious corridors of Emilio Vargas' exclusive lounge, the air thick with the scent of expensive whiskey and cigar smoke. The deeper they went, the more the pounding in her chest intensified. Every instinct screamed that this was a bad idea. That she should turn back. And yet, here she was.
"You sure about this?" she whispered, adjusting the sleek clutch in her hands, the cool metal of the lock-picking set he had slipped her pressing against her palm throigh the fabric like a reminder of the line she was about to cross.
Callen shot her a devil-may-care grin, his eyes gleaming with maddening confidence. "Trust issues?"
She scoffed. "You're a conman, remember?"
His grin widened into something self-assured. "I prefer 'entrepreneur'... but I get it."
They reached the start of the hallway leading to the server room. The heartbeat of this entire operation.
Callen's smirk faltered just for a second. A flicker of something more serious in his eyes. And for a few brief seconds, Dexter was gone, replaced by the sharper, more calculating Callen.
"When I pull Vargas away, you slip inside," he murmured, slipping a sleek black thumb drive into her palm. His fingers lingered, warm and confident, just long enough to make her pulse quicken. "Find the file called Harrow. Quick and clean."
Nell exhaled, nodding. She could feel the weight of his touch long after it was gone.
Then, just like that, Callen was Dexter again. He straightened his suit, smoothed his hair, rolled his shoulders back—swaggering into the lounge like he owned the whole damn place.
Nell melted into the shadows, watching him approach Emilio Vargas. Callen was the perfect picture of charm—he had Vargas's attention, and that was all he needed.
"Ah! Señor Vargas!" Callen's voice rang out, loud and dripping with feigned admiration. He clapped a hand on the man's shoulder as if they were old friends. "I was just telling my dear friend Claire how exquisite your establishment is. Such an air of exclusivity."
Vargas barely masked his impatience. "Señor Hughes. I trust you are enjoying yourself?"
"Oh, immensely," Callen drawled, his smile widening as he leaned in a little closer. "Though I must say, I have very high expectations when it comes to fine liquor. You wouldn't happen to have a private collection, would you?"
Nell didn't wait to hear the rest. She moved.
Slipping down the hall, she reached the server room door. Locked, as expected.
Easy.
She retrieved the lock-picking set and got to work, each pin clicking into place. She had it open in under ten seconds, slipping inside and shutting the door behind her. The server racks hummed softly, casting an eerie blue glow. Nell moved quickly, finding the main terminal and inserting the drive.
The screen flickered to life.
Harrow.
She just had to find it. Download it. Get out.
Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she bypassed the firewalls and got into the system. Her eyes danced across the screen as she hunted down the file, located it, and started extracting it.
A progress bar appeared.
10%... 30%...
A bead of sweat slid down the back of her neck.
60%... 75%...
Then she heard footsteps and voices outside. One of them Vargas.
Nell's heart pounded as the door handle twitched.
A voice—low, sharp. "What was that?"
No, no, no—
She backed up, scanning for an escape, but there was nowhere to go. If Vargas opened that door, it was over.
Then a more familiar voice but as irritating as it was it was welcome in that moment.
"Dios mío!"
Callen's voice rang out from the hallway, sharp and exaggerated.
The door handle stilled.
"Señor Vargas!"
A beat of silence.
Then Vargas' irritated voice. "What is it now, Hughes?"
Nell held her breath.
Outside, Callen let out a groan. "I believe I may have indulged in too many of your exquisite cocktails…"
A pause.
Then Vargas, unimpressed: "Are you drunk, Hughes?"
Callen chuckled, just the right amount of slur in his voice. "Tipsy, perhaps! But I assure you, it only makes my taste in liquor even more refined."
Nell turned back to the screen—
80%… 82%…
Come on, come on…
"Señor Hughes," Vargas' voice sharpened. "You're wasting my time."
"Oh, never, my friend!" Callen's voice dipped lower, playful but smug. "In fact, I think I could make you a very interesting offer…"
85%… 87%…
Nell gritted her teeth. It was crawling at a snail's pace.
Vargas sighed. "What kind of offer?"
Callen's tone turned smoother, more confident. "One that involves a very lucrative deal. Something rare."
A beat of silence.
91%… 92%…
Vargas hesitated, and Nell heard the shuffle of his shoes—like he was turning back toward the door.
No, no, no—
She moved to the nearest server tower, gripping the edge, and accidentally yanked one of the cables free.
The room gave a soft, unpleasant beep as the system hiccupped.
Outside, Vargas cursed. "What the hell was that?"
Nell's stomach dropped.
A new set of footsteps—he was moving toward the door again.
Callen, sensing it too, acted fast.
"Señor Vargas," he said, voice thick with barely-contained excitement, "between you and me, I have a very wealthy associate looking for something exceptional. A bottle worth a fortune."
Silence.
Then—Vargas exhaled, irritated. "Fine. Come with me."
Their footsteps receded down the hall.
Nell let out a slow breath.
The progress bar inched forward.
94%… 95%.
She held her breath for what felt like minutes until the bar flashed 100%. The moment the download finished, she yanked the drive free and shoved it into the pocket of her dress.
Now she just had to get out.
Carefully, she moved to the door, pressing her ear against it.
Silence.
Clear.
She stepped out, moving quickly down the hall.
By the time she reentered the lounge, Callen, Dexter, she wasnt even sure anymore, was already waiting for her, looking entirely too smug.
"Took your time," he murmured as he fell into step beside her.
She rolled her eyes, slipping the drive into his jacket pocket as they walked. "You owe me big for this."
Callen chuckled, his hand ghosting over the spot where she'd placed the drive.
"Oh, I know."
His laughter followed her all the way back to her friends.