the security

gles. On

ever lingering. But there was something off about her stillness. It wasn

n't tr

ad of security, said through the earpiece. "No bu

ce chair, eyes still fixed on

Toiletries. One tablet, wiped

," Damien muttered.

nk she's

e's hiding

Moretti hat

secrets fo

odest education. A two-year gap in employment followed by a paper trail of remote

fect. T

r against his des

looking f

said. "Find wher

-

ht, he stood o

dn't

wat

escaped beneath the fram

ke standing at the edge of a minefield and knowi

Damien had seen beautiful be

as dif

was polite. Controlled. The kind of woman who made you forget to loo

ted to expose her-or see wha

ay, he'd

lway

until the fo

en did

er suitcase. Inside was a compact device, no bigger than a cigarette pack. She powered it on, her

n't hav

trokes, a

isplay-a woman, older, sharp-eyed, dre

" the wo

pped. "In. Fully embedded

is. Moretti'

worse. He'

pa

s dang

as though she could feel his presence still lingering. "I'll s

w the pr

nsed. "He's n

r. Collateral

e stre

d, "What if he isn

. You don't forget what they are just because they

idn't

he way she expected. He was brutal, yes, but there was precision beneath the viol

k he might see through her b

en flick

ght hours," the woman said

ne wen

ck into its hidden pocket. Then she walked

mposed. U

ld see the storm

just a mis

s sur

ight be her greatest thr

m the mirror just a

ed device. Her

age fr

re not answeri

ed back

risk it. He's wa

dots b

you know. One word

message, thumb hove

d the phone wi

hout burning everything down-including the se

finish what

-

th casting amber shadows across his face. His glass of b

n't dr

s thi

a

d him earlier. No tremble in her voice. No hesitat

n on a still image-her standing in front

ere for the marri

d in his earpiece. "Yo

he's hiding something, I want to see how

low, dangerous smil

ieve I'm buy

-

k to find Damien already seated, skimming a leather-

p well?"

said smoothly, taking t

ho spoke little and observed much, pour

g with me," Damien s

wh

ban housing initiative. Press will be there.

brow. "And I'

g his drink. "The mysterious new wi

utral smile. "That s

table. "We're both very g

eyes l

between them-unspok

ime, Aria wasn't su