Before the Hearing...

KILLIAN

I had just entered my hotel room in Paris when Gunner called me, and somehow I knew it was bad news before I answered.

“I... I don't know how to tell you this,” he started. This man had been trained to give only clear and short answers. The fact that he struggled to find the words couldn't mean anything good.

My whole body tensed. “Just say it.”

“We lost it,” he said tightly. “We lost the copy of the recording.”

My blood began to boil. “How the fuck was that even possible?”

Gunner inhaled sharply. “One of the guards... Yan Hao got to him, bribed him. I bet that he was the one who told Yan Hao's man about our informant.” He cleared his throat. “Josie… She's working on a special system. She let me know that the warehouse had been compromised. When I got there, I found the place empty and eight bodies lying on the ground.”

I cursed and dragged my hand over my face. “Have you caught the traitor?”

“Not yet,” he strained through his teeth. “But we will. I'm going to grant him a very