He kept his body turned away from Patricia, shielding the screen from her view.

He caught my eye for a brief second.

He gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.

My secure military phone in my tactical vest vibrated against my chest.

I reached down, my fingers touching the heavy fabric of the pocket.

I pulled the device out.

The screen lit up with an encrypted message alert from an unrecognized number.

I tapped the screen to open the message.

The text began to load, character by character, on the encrypted display.

I held my breath as the first words appeared.

Daniel’s eyes remained locked on me from across the room.

He lowered his hand, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

My thumb hovered over the glass as the secure channel decrypted the file.

The interface flashed green, indicating the source was using a local loop.

“Morgan,” Hayes said, stepping up beside me.

“The deputy is securing the basement door.”

“Do we have the target’s personal device?”

“Not yet, sir,” I said, my eyes still fixed on the screen in my hand.

The message was short.