A high barbed wire, wrought-iron fence surrounded a private back parking lot.
“Wow.”
“Is this your first time here?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry, if I’d known, I would have given you the tour guide experience.”
I appreciated his attempt to put me at ease, but my heart and stomach didn’t get the message.
“It’s impressive.”
“Wait until you see the inside.”
I could’ve gone forever without seeing the inside of SSI.
As we approached the backdoor, Matt entered another code. “We each have our own code to enter the building.”
“No keycards?”
“Cards are easily lost or stolen.”
I nodded. It sounded so obvious that I blushed at not having thought of it myself.
“I’ll take you to the lobby so you can say hi to Meg.”
We walked down a hall into a bright, spacious lobby. A skylight let in natural light, adding to the welcoming atmosphere of the lobby. Matt walked beside me and pointed out offices along the wall. “Jack, Jamie, and John have private offices. The rest of usshare offices over there.” He pointed to the left as we walked around an open concept stair case.
“Hey Meg, can you let John know we’re here?”
“Hi Nina.” Meg stood and closed the distance between us to greet me with a hug. “I’m glad to see you again, but sorry it’s because you have to be here.”
Much to my surprise, her hug eased some of the tension in my shoulders. “Thanks.”
“The J-Squad is upstairs.”
“You use J-Squad?” I asked.
“I liked Eva’s name for the guys, so I stole it,” Meg answered with a laugh.
Matt laughed before turning, placing his hand between my shoulder blades to usher me towards the stairs. “This way.”
The second floor had conference rooms above the offices. From certain angles, I could see the rooms. One had glass walls, but blinds prevented me from seeing inside.
At the top of the stairs, I paused and looked down into the lobby, giving myself time to catch my breath.
The climb hadn’t winded me—my nerves had.
“Take your time,” Matt said, just as the door opened and John stepped out.
“Thanks for coming, Nina. I know this isn’t easy.”
Understatement of the century.
“I didn’t think I had a choice,” I whined, despite knowing it wasn’t true.
“You always have a choice,” John said. “If it helps, I think you made the right one. Austin has some information and a few questions. The boys and I will stay the entire time.”
