I rest my hands on his chest, feeling the even beat.
Outside, voices carry. Malachi gives orders. East laughs at something Nash said. Anna's voice, low, talking to Tobias. Bright and startled, Anna laughs. The sound bounces off the building's limestone face and finds us through the open door.
Knox lifts his head. "She's laughing."
"Yeah." My throat closes. "She is."
His hand finds the back of my neck. He sets his mouth on my forehead and holds it there. We walk out together.
Chapter 47
Sloane
TheBlackwellsmellsthesame way it always did. Cleaning solvent over old velvet, citrus layered over rot, perfume crushed into carpet that's seen too many heels and too many knees.
The staging area sits two floors below the ballroom. Low ceiling, concrete walls, folding tables, the hum of ductwork overhead. The team fills the space, and the building's smell fills the rest.
The posture comes back without effort. Muscle memory from years of walking these halls with a medical bag and a badge that said I belonged. I used to hold myself exactly this way. Invisible. Useful. A woman with a clipboard and no questions.
Knox's hand stays at my lower back. It's there when the freight elevator hums behind the wall. When the security door clicks. When my pulse tries to climb my throat and I keep my face calm anyway.
"You good?" he murmurs against my hair.
"I'm here."
His fingers flex once against my spine.
Phoenix stands at the center of the room, sleeves rolled, blueprint spread across a folding table. He runs through it one final time.
"Victor and Olivia take the floor first. They're known. Expected. They walk in as buyers and they stay visible." Phoenix turns to Malachi and Candace. "You two follow. Separate entrance, ten minutes behind. You're donors, not bidders. Blend with the old money."
Malachi adjusts his cufflinks. The suit fits him the way his cut fits him. A second skin, just a different war. Candace stands beside him in a black dress that catches the overhead light, a strand of pearls at her throat.
"East, you're on the floor too," Phoenix continues. "Back of the room. You don't bid. You watch the security rotation and you count exits."
East tugs at his collar. "I hate suits."
"You look good," Ruby says from behind her tablet.
East blinks. Nash's jaw hardens a fraction. Ruby doesn't look up.
Phoenix turns to the rest of us. "Knox, Sloane, Nash, Ruby, Anna, Tobias. Observation corridor. One-way glass. Built for staff to monitor the floor without being seen. Arden, you're in there too. Signal and camera work."
Arden nods once from the wall. He's holding a slim device, thumb resting on the side.
"Frankie stays mobile. Corridor, stairwells, service floor. Whatever she needs." Phoenix leaves it there.
Frankie's eyes flick to me from across the room. One quick check. "Protections are set."
Knox shifts behind me. "Set where?"
"Service entrances, prep floor, stairwells. Where you asked."
I glance at Knox. He met with Frankie about this. Gave her the tactical layout and let her do what she does with it. He accepts it. He uses it.
"McKenzie and I take the floor with Victor," Phoenix finishes. "Felix and Amelia hold the service exit. Anyone comes out who shouldn't, they handle it."
Amelia checks her phone. "Doors open in twelve minutes."
