Page 137 of The Enforcer’s Pawn

My thumb brushes across her lower lip. The guard clears his throat at the far turn and finds the ceiling fascinating.

Cara’s mouth curves. “Your men have excellent error handling skills.”

“Some of them,” I say, releasing her hand before I forget where we are.

Inside the annex, Yuri is ready. Maksim stands near the back wall. Elena has joined him, calm and watchful, with one hand resting over the other. Dima straightens when Cara returns beside me.

Yuri looks over his shoulder. “Send?”

I look at Cara.

She nods, short and swift.

“Send,” I say.

Yuri taps the key. The fake message leaves through the nanny contact and brushes the old Boston channel Cara built into its path. It doesn’t go to Patrick. It only passes close enough for him to notice if he’s still watching.

Nothing happens.

One minute passes. Then five.

Dima shifts his stance. Abramov checks his phone twice. Kirill watches the channel map with his cigarette held low. Yuri keeps both hands above the keyboard and waits.

Kathryn sits beside Cara, and both of them stare at the screen.

At fifteen minutes, the old Boston channel checks the message.

Yuri leans forward. “First touch.”

A second marker appears near the first.

Abramov looks up. “Same old Boston channel?”

Yuri types fast. “Yes. Different access point.”

My hand closes at my side.

Cara grips Kathryn’s hand.

Patrick hasn’t shown his face, but someone has followed the message through the old Boston channel. Whoever it is didn’t just notice it. They opened it, checked the false nanny contact, and tried to read the empty transport request.

Yuri’s screen flashes again.

He leans closer, both hands on the keyboard now. “He’s inside the message.”

My voice stays calm. “Patrick?”

Yuri shakes his head. “Not direct. He’s using a relay, but he’s reading it like he knows her.”

33

CARA

The trap works, and it feels awful.

On Yuri’s screen, the fake message opens through the old Boston channel.

His hands move over the keyboard. “Confirmed. It’s Patrick. He’s using a relay.”