“These are the shipping lanes for the chemical transports,” Aries said, his finger resting on the paper.

“If they control these slips, they control the entire entry point into the city.”

The light bulb above us flickered violently and hummed.

Aries winced, closing his eyes for a brief second to cope with the noise.

I kept my eyes on the map.

I noticed a series of tiny pinpricks in the paper along the border.

“There is something else,” I said.

I picked up a pencil from the desk drawer.

I carefully shaded over the pinpricks, letting the lead catch the raised edges of the paper.

Letters began to form in the margins.

Aries opened his eyes, watching my hand move with steady precision.

“What does it say?” he asked.

I spelled out the letters as they appeared.

“V-A-L-E,” I read.

“Killian’s name.”

“And next to it, a date.”

“Tomorrow.”

“At midnight.”

The sound of a heavy engine rumbled outside the office.

The metal walls vibrated slightly.

Aries stood up, his hand instantly moving to his holster.

The yellow headlights of a truck swept across the frosted glass of the office window.