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
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