I handed the coat to him, hoping my hands weren’t shaking too visibly.

Thomas took the coat and shook it.

He patted the outside pockets, but he did not check the small, hidden interior zipper pocket near the breast.

He threw the coat onto a chair in the corner of the room.

“Don’t try anything foolish,” Thomas said. “There are guards at every exit.”

He walked out of the room, shutting the heavy oak door behind him.

I heard the lock click into place from the outside.

I stood in the center of the silent room for a moment, listening.

The wind howled against the window pane.

I rushed over to the chair and grabbed my coat.

My fingers scrambled inside the lining until they found the hidden zipper.

I pulled it open and reached inside.

My fingers closed around the cold, hard plastic of the transmitter.

I pulled it out, holding it close to my chest.

I walked over to the window, looking out into the pitch-black night.

Trees whipped back and forth in the storm.

I looked down at the device.