o smooth it felt like glass. The driveway was heated; she could see

aggressive: raw, imposing concrete slabs and sheets of black glass that reflected nothing but the darkness.

nd the silence that followed was absolute. No crickets. No dist

e caught a flicker of movement, a glint of coated glass where no light should be. Her training screamed optics, but her face only showed a shiver from the co

that didn't exist. She walked to the massive front door. There was no doorbell, no

lf staring into the unnerving red light, and the heavy door sl

derless, echoed from hidden spe

her sweat-dampened skin like a physical blow. The foyer was cavernous, with ceilings that vanished

k, black table. It was the only furnit

voice sounded thin, swallowed

ans

d the cold surface of the table, and a shiver ran down her spine. It wasn't

t was shrouded in darkness, but the shad

a check or a few singles. It felt thic

sp, one-hundre

d dollars for twenty dollars' worth of mediocre Ku

ate immigrant, she would be

, her movements jerky. She let her eyes widen

spered to the empty room,

he looked up. A camera lens rotated, zooming in directly on

door, clutching her pocket as if she

e said again, l

gh the narrowing gap sideways, rushing back to the scooter. She fumbled with th

e driveway faster than she should h

window on the second floor. A

dford studied the screen. The image was frozen on he

screen flashed data

Rate: Elevated. Micro-e

tension in her forearms. It wasn't the white-knuckled grip of fear. It wa

he murmured t