everly Hills. Sterling broke the comfortable silence by opening a small, refr

is. The simple, paternal gesture wa

d softly, his eyes on the road ahea

r life like a force of nature. That slight, involun

peated, her voice a little stro

nderstood. She was a fortress, and he would not try to st

ith practiced speed across the screen, open

phanumeric characters. It was a language of its own,

ugh a series of anonymous servers on the dark web

was simple, co

urce allocation for Palmer Industries

r. She then uninstalled the application. The pho

yes at the speed of her typing, but he said nothing. H

at needed to be locked and bolted. Palmer Industries would now face a slow, inexpli

hrough a set of immense, wrought-iron gates. T

t pocket and pulled out a slim,

American Express Centurion Card. The name

morning," Sterling said, as if discussing

er name. Ira Vaughan. It

took the card and slid i

eing handed a card with no spending limit, surpris

w phone. It was sleek,

," he explained. "This one i

d operating system. She popped the SIM card from her old phone and inserted it into the

luid, efficient, and

is face. He was beginning to realize that the girl

ald-green lawn. The main house rose before them, a magnificent estate of pale stone

house. It was the

lled to a stop befor

was elegant and beautiful, with warm eyes and a

ng. "That's Henrietta," he said. "Your mother