gan her preparations. The surveillance feeds were live. Kinsley was inside t

-a clean, six-minute recording of Brenda and Kinsley's call fr

ffice speaker system. The same system he used for his morning conference calls. She set it to trigger in thirty minutes, on

coy. A pla

ers. The herbs on her desk had dried enough to use. She wrapped

knocked a glass of wat

g against the marble floor. She

th already in hand. "Mi

ain. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow. "I think I fainted for

ation, or both. She helped Asha back onto the pillows, he

s, her voice fading to a whisper. "P

dded, gathered the broken gla

a's eyes snapped open. They were shar

she slipped off the bed and

he hall. Then stopped. Then a faint

. Take

lawn in a low crouch. She had fifteen minutes before the first decoy audio played in Darien's offi

e needed to c

ted. Harris was still recovering-he'd been sent home with strict orders to rest be

orne. I was going to send you a note. Mr. Kn

ut w

with Harris. He was informed. He wants t

le. "Tell him I'll be ha

into the treeline before h

e decoy audio would have triggered in th

ed, folded her h

her door exactly s

toast, and a note. Her face was composed, professional, but Asha

recovery. He asks that you rest and take meals in

e, but her fingers brushed Brenda's wr

a fli

t, almost gentle. "Is somethin

Everythin

ange. Because I was under the impression that you made a ph

a's face. Her hands-still ho

't know what you'

at the plan was still on track, that the injection

tray slipped from her fingers. Asha caught it-one hand, steady as

vements were fluid, unhurried, but there was something in her sti

ilver needle. It was thin, barely longer than

ened. "What is th

hand

precision of someone who knew exactly where to

n at a perfect angle. Brenda gasped-not in pain, but in shock. She tried

lled her voice box. She could not scream. She could not call for hel

g. "It's temporary. An hour, maybe two. You'll be perfectly

her sleeve. Brenda sagged against the wall, he

" Ash

nda

er laptop. She opened it, navigated to a

sfer from Kinsley's personal account to an offshore shell company-one tha

on. She gave you the first installment. Two hundred thousand dollars, deposited into a holding ac

leaked from her eyes, her sile

tion with Kinsley-enough to make him suspicious, not enough to convict you. But if I choose to release t

the sent

a minimum of ten years. He's young. He'd survive it. But his scholarship would be revoked. His career in s

in her hands. The sound she made

wai

she crouched in front of

couldn't complete the planting because I was too alert. Tell her we need to delay the operatio

led out a small burner phone. She p

ine. When I need you,

at the phone

uldn't speak. But she didn't need to.

rong ab

et to your quarters, the paralysis will wear off. I sugges

er phone. At the door, she paused-as if to say s

fl

ind her, then leaned aga

hone

icked

back. Negative. But I need y

screen. A chill

he knows about Harris. Or he know

ngle reply, me

n when you get ho

ce feed showed Kinsley's sedan still parked near the east gate. B

a time, Asha re

was already