The silence afterward was absolute, pressing against her eardrums like physical weight.
Lazarus consulted a pocket watch, silver and silent, the gesture of a man who had all the time in the world and was choosing to mark some of it anyway. The movement was theatrical, calculated to remind her of his control.
"Mr. Chen has found something unfortunate," he said, his tone almost sympathetic. "I hope he doesn't make poor decisions in his current emotional state. Miss Chen was relocated early this morning to a more secure location." He met Eliza's eyes, and she saw the deliberate cruelty in the timing of this revelation. "Your choices in the next few hours, Eliza. That is all I will say."
"What have you done to him?" Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. That was the scariest version
