The freezing mist off the Hudson River didn't clear with the sunrise; it just turned a brilliant, blinding white that made the edges of the shipping containers bleed into the sky. Inside the tinted, leather-scented sanctuary of the black SUV, the heat was still heavy, thick with the sharp scent of s*x, sweat, and the bitter tang of Damien’s tobacco.
Elias was still trying to find his breath, his bare skin trembling where it pressed against the dark upholstery, when the blue light of the dashboard screen fractured the quiet.
The live news alert bypassed every commercial filter Elias had set on his personal line, flashing in bold, jagged text across the interface: Blackwood Innovations Headquarters raided by federal authorities. Confidential server logs leak proof of insider trading involv
