Phoenix had warned them that the decryption could take several hours. Possibly a full day if the layers proved more stubborn than expected. So they waited.
Lila stood at the open windows of the luxurious Asheville safehouse, the sheer curtains of the windows letting in the mountain breeze. As the sun sank below the tree line, warm gold was splattering on the hardwood floors. Beyond their historic silhouettes, the Blue Ridge Mountains stood watch, providing a reminder of permanence in an increasingly fleeting world. She followed its lazy circles against the deepening blue sky, jealous of the hawk's independence and autonomy from the chaos below.
There wasn't much silence inside. It was expected. The interval between heartbeats is similar. For the past three days, the safehouse—a modern c
