"He's been in the room for every briefing," I said. "Every security discussion and every decision about enhanced protocols."
"So he knows precisely what you're seeing and how you're responding."
A clear picture settled in. "He's not reacting to the threats. He's creating space for them."
"Or creating them."
I stood perfectly still.
"These likely aren't external attacks, Griffin. They're inside jobs. Someone with system access."
"Someone who understands what kind of evidence security teams look for and how to avoid leaving it."
"Yes."
I ran it forward in my head. Soo-jin wasn't some obsessive fan. He was senior management who had legitimate access to schedules, venues, and hotel arrangements. He knew which cameras covered which angles and the personnel he could redirect with plausible explanations.
"The principal's been dealing with this since before the tour started," I said.
"Dealing with what?"
"Management that thinks ownership is care and control equals protection." My hands curled into fists. "Rune gave up that relationship once to survive the system. Soo-jin's making sure he knows the cost of trying to choose anything else."
"And you're a variable that altered the equation."
"I'm close to that. The principal trusts me. His trust makes Soo-jin's control harder to maintain."
"Which is why he's escalating." Eamon's voice sharpened. "Griffin, listen to me carefully. When people like Soo-jin lose control, they don't back off. Instead, they usually escalate. They aim to prove that the principal still needs them. They want to show that without their protection, bad things happen."
My pulse raced. "You think he's going to engineer something."
"I think he's already doing that. The five-day deadline is coming. He won't wait for a clean decision. He's likely to create a crisis that forces Kang to choose. And when Kang has to choose between you and stability—"
"He'll choose stability."
"Every time."
I thought about Kang's tone on the call. Careful. Noncommittal. Still weighing factors.
"He hasn't decided yet," I said.
Eamon was silent for three beats. "Then Soo-jin needs to force that decision before you get to Seattle. Here, you are on home ground where I can provide backup."
"How does he force it?"
Eamon didn't speak. He let me reason it through in my head. "He needs a crisis that looks like my failure," I breathed.
"Yes. And he's already setting the stage."
"Where do you—"
"Likely in LA. That's where his deadline runs out." Eamon paused. "Griffin, you need to prepare for something engineered to look accidental. Something that proves the principal isn't safe with you around."
"What do I do?"
"You document everything. You make sure there's a record that they can't easily erase. And you don't leave the principal alone."
"I'm not his assigned security. Kang is. If I overstep—"
