Aaron
Location: Government Coordination Center — Lisbon. Time: Night
The Oversight man shouldn’t have come himself.
Men like him don’t step into rooms like this unless they have to.
Which means—
he’s not in control anymore.
And he knows it.
“Dr. London will be transferred to a secure international facility,” he says calmly. “Effective immediately.”
Like it’s already done.
Like we’re just catching up.
Lark doesn’t look at him.
Ronan goes very, very still.
That stillness—
that’s the warning.
“That’s not happening,” I say.
“This isn’t a negotiation.”
I smile.
It’s not polite.
It’s not controlled.
It’s the kind of smile that ends things.
“You’re in our building,” I tell him. “With my team. And you just told me you’re kidnapping the most important person in this war.”
The temperature in the room drops.
Security shifts.
Not ours.
His.
Hands drifting toward jackets.
Toward concealed weapons.
Bad move.
Ronan sees it.
So do I.
