She held her phone in one hand and a small silver flash drive in the other.

“You’re here,” I said, lowering my phone.

She had called me from the hallway, standing just outside the door.

Gabriel did not move his hand from his side, though his shoulders relaxed slightly.

“She’s alone,” Gabriel said, his voice low and cautious.

Vanessa stepped into the warm light of the penthouse, leaving wet footprints on the rug.

She looked smaller than she had at her wedding, stripped of her silk and her confidence.

Her makeup was smudged under her eyes, making her look bruised and exhausted.

“I didn’t know where else to go,” she whispered.

She shivered, her teeth clicking together.

“You came to trade,” I said, my voice flat.

“I came to survive, Claire,” she said.

She held out the silver flash drive, her hand trembling.

“It’s all on here,” she said. “The voice files.”

Gabriel closed the heavy door behind her and turned the deadbolt.

The click of the lock sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room.

“Show me,” I said.