The briefing ended, but the room did not immediately empty.
Thomas remained at the table for a while longer, organizing the files and closing several of the digital screens one by one. The maps disappeared, replaced by blank reflections of the room in the dark glass.
Silas stepped away to take a call near the far side of the room, his voice low and controlled as he spoke into the phone. I could not hear most of the conversation, only fragments of instructions and confirmations.
Routes. Timing. Security.
Every word carried the same quiet authority he always used when he was handling something serious.
I stayed where I was, resting my hands lightly on the edge of the table while my eyes drifted back to the photograph of Vincent inside the folder.
There was something unsettling about ho
