Then—
Two of them.
Different heights. Different clothes.
Same walk.
Same refusal to look.
They cross paths.
Don’t acknowledge each other.
That’s the tell.
I’m already typing.
It’s a relay. They’re handing off observation so no one looks stationary.
They’re not here yet, Aaron.
They’re building confidence.
The response is immediate and not calm.
Pack a go-bag. Now.
It’s not like I have much to pack.
I close the laptop and finally let my hands shake.
Because I wasn’t looking for danger.
I was looking for absence.
And I found it.
The assumption they’re about to correct.
10
Aaron
Location: Lisbon — Safehouse
Time: Late Morning
I’m already moving when her message comes in.
It’s a relay. They’re handing off observation.
That’s not casual surveillance.
That’s confirmation.
I don’t take the stairs. I take the service lift and come up silent, gun already in my hand, mind running through failure trees.
Door. Hall. No noise.
