Chapter 9 · The Voice on the Line

"Move." I shove past Vale's shoulder and slam the heel of my hand into the release lever three times fast. Nothing. Not a click, not a hiss, not even the little red light that's supposed to blink when the mechanism resets.

"Gia."

"Don't Gia me." I hit it again. My knuckles catch the edge of the housing and it stings all the way up my wrist. "This lever opens for a fire alarm. It opens for a power cut. It does not stay dead unless somebody wants it dead."

Vale doesn't move toward the door. He's still exactly where he was thirty seconds ago, close enough that I can feel the heat coming off his chest through two layers of shirt, and he's watching the door like it insulted him personally.

"Cross's crank doesn't override a full seal," he says. "That's not a jam. That's a lockout."

"A lockout means somebody logged in." I turn around too fast and my shoulder brushes his sternum. Neither of us steps back. "Somebody with clearance above night staff. Which is not Cross. Cross barely has clearance to work the coffee machine."

That's when the comm panel by the door coughs to life.