The Civic Center pulsed with activity. Spotlights flickered across the sleek glass facade, casting sharp glimmers on the polished sidewalk. It was a neutral ground by design—public, open, layered in surveillance and noise. The perfect place to blend in. And yet, tonight, everything about it felt like a trap.
Calla stood with Cassian and Zara behind the back wall of a flower kiosk, their breath forming faint clouds in the cold night air. Cassian’s gaze never left the upper level of the plaza where Talia had been sighted. Zara kept to the comms, her tablet open and tracking heat signatures from the security feed she’d hacked minutes ago.
“She’s here,” Zara said. “Fifth floor, east wing. Alone. Or so it seems.”
Cassian adjusted the strap across his chest, his tone flat. “Then we move. Fast
