The clock on the wall ticked with a dry, rhythmic click that seemed to grow louder with every passing minute.

I sat next to Chloe, my hand resting near hers on the table.

She didn’t pull away.

Melanie sat opposite us, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen where the bank’s portal was open, showing the current balance of $720,000.

“He was always so careful,” Melanie muttered, almost to herself. “He never left his key logged in when I was in the room.”

“He got greedy,” Arthur said. “Greed makes people sloppy.”

My phone buzzed on the table.

The screen lit up with a text notification.

It wasn’t from Lucas.

It was an automated flight tracker alert I had set up earlier that morning.

*Flight 442 from Denver has landed in Palm Springs.*

The room went completely silent.

“He’s on the ground,” I said.

Arthur picked up his phone. “Reed? Are you seeing anything yet?”

“Not yet,” Reed’s voice came back instantly. “He has to get through the terminal, get his rental car, and make it to the condo. We’re tracking the IP block for the Palm Springs area.”