t she had just done pressed down on her. Mrs. Sterling. The name felt foreign, ill-fitting, like a costume she was force

, crept into her purse and found the slim, unmarked device. The screen was dark. No

and opened her eyes, h

at her, his sharp eyes catching the tension in her posture, the way she was staring at nothing. He reach

ise in her eyes. "Thanks," she murmured, her

, but he said nothing, his at

is eyes narrowed. A black Bentley, sleek and ostentatious, had been behind them

tley fo

s. He knew that license plate. Preston. He

th a low growl. The sudden surge of sp

e sharp with alarm, her hand flying

d, his voice flat, his ey

it-Preston's unmistakable car, weaving through traffic, trying t

ow. Hart didn't slow down. He expertly cut the wheel, sending the heavy vehicle into a control

ehind a line of cars. She saw Preston slam his hands against the steerin

was gone, but it wa

wasn't the sound of her regular phone. This was a s

trying to muffle the sound, and shot a nervous glance at H

ack, unmarked device. It had no logos, no branding. She entered

message

htingal

only in the most dire of circumstances. Her entire demeanor shifted. The dazed,

lack. She took a deep breath, schooling her

asked, her voice even. "On Fifth Ave

" he asked, a subtle note of inquiry in his tone. It was the qu

s," she lied smoothl

to see right through her. She met his stare without fli

e nodded.

e coming to a smooth stop. "Be safe," he said,

ut into the bustling river of pedestrians. She didn't look b

ent she was out of sight, the concerned husband persona dissolved. His face became

The package is on the move. Fifth and 57th. M

ited through a side door onto 50th Street. She cut through the lobby of a commercial building, then entered the Rockefeller Cen

own, into a neighborhood of old brick buildings and quiet streets. She turned down a narrow, cobblestoned alle

oak door. Three quick tap

and the door swung open a few inches. She slipp

... sandalwood. She moved with a familiar confidence through the maze of an

with ancient, leather-bound books. Seated behind a massive mahogany desk was a man with a shock of wh

d, and a slow, knowing smi

," he said, his voic

fell away. Her posture straightened, her eyes grew cold and hard. Sh

esk and sat in the

d, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. "You