Finally, I call Mikel back in.
“Shadow protection increases on Marian Hale and Ethan Hale,”I tell him. “No visible presence. Rotational. Two teams minimum.”
Mikel studies me carefully. “Rowan will notice if the pattern changes.”
“She won’t,” I assure him. “Adjust the rotations without making them obvious. Don’t tighten the pattern around them. Widen it.”
He nods once. He understands the nuance. Protection must expand without appearing to.
“And Arkady?” he asks.
“Expand tracking on his known associates,” I reply. “No approach or pressure. Watch only.”
Mikel’s eyes narrow a fraction. “He’ll sense it.”
“Only if we move incorrectly.”
Arkady wants theater. He wants confrontation he can shape and manipulate. I won’t give him an audience. The containment is in place, and the net is wider now.
Arkady won’t see it tightening.
Rowan is already in the apartment when I arrive.
The lock clicks open, and I step inside to find her leaning against the kitchen counter, a mug untouched beside her. She’s still inscrubs, sleeves pushed to her forearms, and her hair secured in the braided bun she wears when the day drags on. The lights are low, giving the kitchen and living space a soft amber glow.
She looks calm at first glance, but I see the focus in her eyes. She doesn’t wait for me to speak.
“What did you find out?” she asks.
I set my keys down and remove my jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. “There was no breach.”
Her brows draw together slightly.
“Evan in IT said the same thing,” she says. “Internal credentials. High-level consultation access. He told me six or seven people in the hospital have clearance to enter that kind of routing override without triggering alarms.”
She watches my face as she says it.
“He’s correct.”
She exhales slowly, confirming her own assessment. “That’s what I thought.”
She straightens away from the counter and folds her arms loosely. “Six or seven people with that level of access means this required planning,” she continues. “And someone who understands how our system works.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes narrow slightly as she considers it. “I’ve beensuspicious of Ivan,” she admits. “But I don’t think he has that kind of reach inside Charlotte Memorial.”
“Not directly.”
She studies me closely. “So, he’s not the one leading it.”
“No. Ivan is useful,” I say evenly. “He pushes. He draws attention. He creates movement.”
“And Arkady?” she asks quietly.
“He builds around that movement.”
She holds my gaze. “Alexei said his name.”
