pte

cho E

iving. With the tablet still glowing in her hand, Valeria sat in silence. If co

claimed was "classified." Lies. All of it. Marriage had been a mission for them. Her mi

er extractions, and double-crosses. What, then? This was betrayal of the soul. And yet, it made sense-too much sense. Their union'

lize yourself, - D." DeMarais. The specter in Anton's haze. She'd only heard the name in whispers and encrypted voice notes-a phantom han

p. No partners. She couldn't risk going to the agency-not yet. Anton

ation. The Shanghai fallout. Before she ever said yes to Anton, they had been watching her for a long time. And then, a clue-hidden in the metadata of the document's

oulder bag, grabbed her passport, and s

done bein

play a ghost, she wo

n impeccable Brioni suit, Marcus sipped his 18-year-old Glenfiddich, his mind already five moves ahead of everyone around him. His opponents never lasted long enough to win a game, so behind him in the study was a chessboard that remained unoccupied. He glanced at his watch, a limited-edition Patek Philippe. 9:42

y, she had grown distant, bold even. She was beginning to inquire. threatening ones. About the properties o

r Marcus, was conditional. Cond

revealing rows of safes, documents, encrypted hard drives, and cash-millions of dollars in

ed the "Santiago Arms Deal – Confidential" folder. A Ukrainian arms shipment was being funneled through one of his properties in Venezuela next month. The local officials had been bribed and the paperwork h

breeze returned. He thought about how to keep her on track as he took another sip of whiskey. Charm was always his first weapon. It was mis

elicate perfume, cautious glances, veiled truths. She entered with tightly pursed lips and appeared to

inner wit

ney's friend. S

er that curated smile-ha

u're going next time.

how to track me,"

loser, brushing her cheek with his hand. "You've been

. No, not yet. But he s

" she

s all he nee

stleblower-anonymous, skilled, and dangerous-had leaked the Santiago

." Marcus didn't panic.

meeting at a secure Catskills property. The property had n

the only individual who had seen this exact copy, complete with those annotations and the watermark. That night

you something,

just stepped cautio

aleria? Or did you just s

ing about," she said, but her v

" He raised the printed leak up. "W

eyes for the first time in years

sol

is wasn't just be

the flames as though they might put an end to the growing sense of uncertainty. C

names Marcus hadn't seen before. She had assistance-someone technical

ly. I want everything-phone logs, meetin

he runs?"

tate. "Make sure sh

naive girl he married in Valeria. She had learned fr

A third player. A reporter? A rival

Marcus began to realize that he was most afraid of not being exposed. It was irrelevance. The idea that

with a mirror in her hand, one hand on a dagger behind her back, looking in the mirror at her reflection. Marcus had al

s war... I'll