James and his team waited in the so-called safe house, with only the daylight struggling to filter through the shards of glass where the windows had once been. Inside, the air hung heavy with tension, each member of the team moving with an urgent silence. Their breath was steady but their hearts pounded; each person knew the gravity of what lay in store.
James hovered near the door, hand resting casually on the cold steel of his weapon, going through every scenario in his mind. The buyer was on hold, but something was strange about it all. Eyes everywhere, James thought, fast; learned ages past that things were never what they appeared. There was always a catch.
Lina, her face tense with anxiety, was busy packing the hard drive into a padded pouch. She looked at James and spoke low, as i
