Vireya waited until they were inside the car before she spoke."You're not going to tell me you're fine again, are you?"Evren sat in the passenger seat with one hand resting against his side. The fight at the logistics office had not lasted long, but it had made his injury worse. His ribs hurt whenever he moved, and the dull pain had become sharper after he was pushed against the wall."I'm not fine," he admitted.Vireya looked at him in surprise."Should I take you back to the clinic?""We should get somewhere quiet first.""That wasn't what I asked."Evren looked at her. "Yes. Take me back to the clinic if the pain gets worse."She shook her head and started the car.For several minutes, neither of them spoke. The road beside the waterfront was busy, and trucks passed them with a deep rumbling sound. Vireya kept both hands on the steering wheel, but she was thinking about Joseph Tan and the man who had tried to

Vireya and Evren returned to their hotel with the documents Victor Chen had given them. Neither of them spoke much during the drive. They had learned more about the six intermediaries, but Victor's sudden fear had left them with another problem.Someone had arrived at his office while they were still talking.Vireya placed the envelope on the hotel desk and took out the papers one by one. She read the shipping authorization again, paying attention to the line about all six parties approving the revised arrangement."At least we have something we can use," she said.Evren sat on the edge of the bed. He looked tired, and he kept one hand against his ribs."We also have a man who knows where Daniel Chen's package is.""Assuming Victor actually calls us.""He will if he thinks we're his best chance of finding out what's happening."Vireya looked at him. "You sound confident.""I'm not. I'm guessing."That made her smi

Evren hated hospitals, but he hated being told what to do even more."You need another examination," Vireya said as she drove through the streets of Greenwich. "You took another hit to the ribs, and you're pretending it doesn't hurt.""I'm not pretending.""Then why have you been holding your side for the past ten minutes?"Evren glanced at his hand, which was resting against his injured ribs. He moved it away."Happy?""Not even close."He leaned back against the passenger seat. His cheek was swelling, and his shoulder felt stiff whenever he moved it. He had fought men who were stronger than him before, but fighting while injured was different. Every mistake cost more than it should.Still, his thoughts kept returning to the man who had broken into the estate.The attacker had known exactly which building to enter and what to take. He had also known about the disputed records. That meant someone had learned about their

The man in the gray jacket had failed.That was the first thing Marcus Vale heard when he entered the conference room.A folder lay open on the table. Beside it sat a man in his early fifties wearing an expensive suit. His name was Richard Hale, a corporate adviser who had helped manage several acquisitions connected to Eastbridge Capital. He had been working with the creditor group for months, and he looked as if he had not slept well.Marcus removed his coat and took the empty seat opposite him."Tell me what happened."Richard pushed a report across the table. "Gregory Shaw kept the documents. Our contractor couldn't recover them.""Couldn't, or didn't?""He ran into Evren Valcero."Marcus glanced at the report. It included a short account of the confrontation, along with the fact that police had been called."And you sent someone to take documents from a former consultant's office without making sure the situation was under control?"Richard's face tightened. "The man was supposed

Marcus Vale was halfway through his morning meeting when Richard Hale placed a new report in front of him."The Boston property is still operating," Richard said. "The lender hasn't suspended funding, and the Montclair legal team has challenged our filing. We also lost access to the records room."Marcus closed the folder he had been reading."How did we lose access to a room we were never authorized to enter?"Richard's expression tightened. "The contractor said he was collecting documents on behalf of the creditor group.""Did we give him written authorization?""No."Marcus stared at him for a moment. "Then he wasn't collecting documents. He was trespassing."Richard said nothing.Marcus had expected resistance from Evren Valcero. He had heard enough about the man's time in Blackhaven to understand that threats would not easily frighten him. Vireya Montclair was proving just as troublesome, though in a different way. She was not chasing every lead or making public accusations. She