I knew the formula: the current hour in Zurich, combined with the inverted digits of his mother’s birth year.

I typed it with one hand, my fingers moving quickly and quietly over the keys.

Sophia watched my fingers, her eyes widening as she realized what I was doing.

She had wanted those files to secure her own safety, to use as blackmail to buy her way out.

She did not know I was routing the data to a different destination entirely.

“Is there a problem with the servers downstairs?” Marcus asked, his brow furrowing as he heard the faint hum of the laptop.

He took a step toward the desk.

“None,” I said.

I pressed the enter key.

The progress bar on the screen turned from red to green.

The download resumed, the transfer rate spiking as it bypassed the main firewall.

“Step away from the desk, Elena,” Marcus said, his voice losing its calm veneer.

He reached out to touch my arm.

I did not flinch, but I moved my hand inside my pocket, letting the hammer of the revolver click back.