Not only did it make her more maneuverable, it also showed off a little more skin. She stood up and sashayed slowly down the path along the wall’s edge, letting her hips move dramatically from side to side. At first, neither of the guards noticed her. As she drew closer, she could hear they were saying something about the latest Chivas soccer game. She did little to hide the fact that she was walking right toward them, even kicked a few rocks to make a little extra noise.
About twenty feet away, the smoker noticed her. “I’m sorry, but you cannot….” When the light shone on her, he couldn’t find the words he was looking for.
“I cannot what?” she asked in her best local Spanish.
The smoker was speechless. The other guy jumped in, albeit reluctantly. “This area is off limits to the party guests.” He tried to sound respectful while issuing his warning.
She smiled, closing the last fifteen feet with a little extra sway in her step to make it look like she’d had too much to drink. “I’m sorry. I lost my friend when I went to the bar for another drink, and I thought maybe she came out here.”
She stumbled as she reached the two men and let them both catch her; her hands pressed against their chests, and she smiled as they propped her upright and gave each other a confused and hopeful glance.
“I’m so sorry,” she said and then smiled. “You two are so strong. Are you some sort of security guards?” She let the words slur just enough.
“Yes,and we have to get back to work so if you could please walk back toward the party, we would appreciate it.”
The smoker looked at the other guy and slapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, man. She’s having a good time.”
“The boss specifically said not to interact with the guests.”
“Yeah,but he’s busy, isn’t he?” The guard turned his attention back to Adriana, who pretended to wobble. “You’re having a good time, right?”
“The best time,” she said. “Your boss really knows how to throw a great party.”
“He sure does,” the smoker agreed. “You know, me and Carlos here know how to have a good time too.”
The other one, apparently named Carlos, rolled his eyes but couldn’t help himself. “He’s not lying. We do like to have some fun.”
“I bet you do,” she said and leaned forward. Her hand ran along the collar of his suit jacket and flipped it open just enough to see the gun inside. “Oh, look at that. Is that thing real?”
“Yes,” Carlos said and pulled the jacket back across his chest. He was clearly uncomfortable and borderline irritated.
At the same time, Adriana could tell he was intrigued.
“Would you like to see inside the control room?” the smoker asked eagerly.
Carlos gave him a warning glance, but there was no shutting down the desire in his partner’s eyes.
“Can I do that? I would love to see all the electronics stuff you have in there. I think what you guys do is so cool.”
Carlos only made the other guard beg with his facial expressions for another two seconds before giving in. “Okay. She can come inside. But we have to be quick.”
The smoker grinned and took Adriana by the arm, tugging her into the pale light of the building. Carlos started to follow, but at the last second, changed his mind. “I’ll stay out here and keep a lookout in case the boss or someone else comes along.”
“Suit yourself,” the other said as he closed the door.
Inside,the room was sparsely decorated with a coatrack, an old metal chair, and a worn-out black leather couch. Adriana searched the room in a second, scanning the gray walls and corners for any other cameras. A door in the far corner hung open, and a staircase to her left led up to the second floor.
“What’s up there?” she asked in a drunken slur. She pointed an unsteady finger at the steps.
“Oh,it’s nothing,” the smoker said. He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the coatrack. He unhooked his shoulder holster and set his weapon down on the metal chair before returning his attention to her. His mouth opened in a toothy, sickly smile, revealing crooked yellow teeth. “We use it as a lookout sometimes. Not to worry. No one is up there.”
Good to know. She looked back at the open door. “What’s in there?”
“That’s the control room. Come on, I can show you in there real quick. There are two guys in there monitoring the security systems.”
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her across the room to the doorway, gently pushing it open. Two men were inside, staring at an array of at least a dozen monitors. Each one displayed a different piece of the property, some inside and some out. The smoker knocked on the door and announced his presence.
“Hey, guys. She wanted to see what we do, so I thought I’d give her a peek.” He ushered her in front of him and behind her back made a lewd sexual gesture.
The other two immediately understood what he was doing and laughed. “Sure,” the one in the closest chair said. He had a mustache, and his hair was retreating over top of his scalp. “We’d be happy to show you.” Then he lowered his voice. “The boss doesn’t know about this, right?”
The smoker shook his head slowly.
“Good.” He stood up, placed his hand on Adriana’s shoulder, and ran it down the length of her arm. The other guy remained in his chair and watched.
She narrowed her eyes and glanced over at the monitors, making a careful note of each camera location. On one of the screens, she noted an angle where two guards stood on either side of a doorway.
“What’s in there?” she asked, faking a hiccup and pointed her finger at the screen. “Why are there two of you guys standing by that door?”
The man in the chair turned his attention to the monitor and answered. “Oh, that’s the boss’s art gallery. He keeps all his fancy stuff in there. He’s really protective of it.” The guard blurted out too much information, more than he should have been willing to share with even a harmless drunk girl.
The smoker was already putting his hands all over Adriana. Standing just behind her, he let his hand go down her back and over to her hip, sliding it all the way down to her calf before working his way back up. She breathed heavily, giving him the impression she enjoyed it, hiding the disgust she felt inside.
The man’s hand eased across the outside of her leg. His fingers caught on the bottom of the skirt and started tugging it upward. The garter belt came into view along with the tools she’d tucked inside.
The guy in the chair was the first to notice as he watched in perverted glee. “Hey, what are those things?”
“Oh,” she said, still faking her buzz. “This one here is just like a credit card holder. Keeps my identification and credit card safe.” Her hand lowered to the tool, and she slipped it out of the belt, showing off the thin metal case to the men.
“That is so sexy,” the guard to her right said. His fingers trickled down her neck, wandering toward her chest.
“You think so?” she asked, her eyes locking with his.
“Oh, yes.”
She tilted her head, bringing their lips close enough to where she could feel his breath as it quickened. Adriana’s thumb shifted the card in her hand and pressed down on the corner. A two-inch blade flipped out,and she swiped it up and to the right, yanking it across the man’s throat as she leaned back. The razor-sharp edge sliced through his skin. His narrowed eyes shot wide in an instant as he grasped his throat. Blood spurted out and poured onto his white shirt, soaking it in seconds.
Adriana moved like lightning. She pounced on the guy in the chair before he could react. The look of shock on his face at what just happened explained his temporary paralysis. It was a fatal failure on his part. She raised the blade and stuck it in his neck, jerked it left, and severed the artery, dealing him the same fate as his partner.