He started walking toward me, his leather shoes loud against the floor.

But the driver of the SUV did not wait.

Marcus opened his door and stepped out, his hand moving inside his suit jacket.

At the same moment, the passenger door of the silver coupe opened.

A second figure stepped out from Andrew’s car, looking nervous but determined.

It was Koko.

She held her phone in front of her, the screen glowing as she recorded everything.

“I’m streaming this directly to the cloud, you idiots!” Koko yelled, her voice shaking but loud.

Victoria’s window rolled down an inch.

Andrew stopped three feet from Marcus.

He did not look at the man’s hand inside his jacket.

He looked directly past him, straight into the dark window of the SUV.

“Julian is already in the lobby with security, Victoria,” Andrew said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone.

“And he is talking.”

Inside the SUV, I saw the silhouette of Victoria stiffen.

The passenger door of the SUV opened slightly.

The door swung wider, the interior light of the SUV casting a pale yellow glow onto the grease-stained concrete.