Lady Morgan's two bodyguards—both massive, both trained in combat—emerged first, flanking the car as Lady Morgan stepped out on trembling legs.She'd brought the bodyguards for comfort, for protection, for the psychological safety of having dangerous men at her back.But looking at the soldiers with their weapons and hard eyes, Lady Morgan realized her bodyguards were nothing compared to what waited inside those walls."Arms out. Feet apart."Lady Morgan submitted to the pat-down, her face burning with humiliation as the female soldier searched her thoroughly—checking for weapons, contraband, anything that could be smuggled inside.Her bodyguards were disarmed—guns, knives, even their watches and belts confiscated."You'll get these back when you leave," the soldier said, dropping their weapons into a lockbox.Lady Morgan's lead bodyguard—Ivan looked uncomfortable without his firearm. Vulnerable."Is this standard procedure?" Lady Morgan asked, trying to keep her voice steady."This i

Knox pushed Aurora's stroller through Riverside Park, enjoying the late afternoon sun filtering through autumn leaves.Aurora was 19 months old now—big enough to sit up in the stroller, her dark eyes tracking birds and squirrels with fascination. She babbled happily, tiny hands reaching for leaves that drifted past.Knox smiled despite the tension coiling in his gut.Because he'd noticed three cars and several men in corporate wear standing at different corners, their eyes glued on them. Those they had glasses on as disguise, Knox could see through them. They didn't seem like regular businessmen who came to enjoy the park, they were professionals.The kind who knew how to disappear into crowds, how to maintain distance, how to watch without being obvious.But Knox had been trained by Master Chen.And Master Chen had taught him to see patterns invisible to normal people.The man reading a newspaper on the bench fifty meters away—same man from yesterday, different location.The woman j