Hazel's moment

“Let’s get this over with,” Lucas muttered, his hand resting on the gun beneath his jacket.

Max scanned the area with a quick, calculating glance. His gaze lingered on the shadows stretching under the skeletal beams of the half-constructed building. He nodded to the men they’d brought along.

“Time to make this quick. We’ve got another job lined up after this.”

They climbed the stairs in silence, the distant hum of machinery barely muffling the echo of their footsteps. The building rose fifteen stories high, though most floors were little more than concrete and rebar. On the third floor, they found a dimly lit corner where a yellowish bulb cast a sickly glow over a makeshift table. Around it stood four men, their faces shadowed, expressions hidden. One man, however, sat in the center, his face partially obscured by the dark.

Max and Lucas walked to the table. Max took the empty chair across from the man, settling in with a practiced ease, crossing one leg over the other. Lucas remaine