I jumped out of the Suburban and ran up the metal stairs slick with ice. I opened the outer door with my key, and went down the hall instead of going into my office. The factory had gone to the bank when the business had gone to South America and then bought by a local real estate investor on the cheap, hoping to cash in with a shopping center. It didn’t work out and I rented the space for a pittance, the developer looking for somebody to keep an eye on the property. I pulled back the plywood that covered the door to downstairs. I had removed the nails a week after moving in, wanting to see what was below me. Recon. I made my way carefully down the rickety wooden stairs. It was dark as a tomb and I banged into several of the abandoned machines before coming to the loading dock in back. I found the lock, released it, and rolled back the heavy door. The Suburban was waiting for me. Nero popped the hatch and I reached in for Jeremiah. His face was livid. “You a dead man.” “Uh huh.”
