Page 134 of The Dark Stranger
His jaw tightens slightly, but he doesn’t lose his composure.
“They weren’t random,” he says. “They knew the layout. Knew where to hit.”
“No shit,” I snap. “So how?”
That’s the question.
The only one thatmatters right now.
Because this doesn’t happen unless something is already broken.
“Could be surveillance,” he says. “Could be someone tracking movement. We’re looking at all of it.”
“Look harder,” I bite out.
Because I’m not standing here guessing.
Not with everything we just lost.
“And the girls?” I push. “Tell me we didn’t just lose product on top of everything else.”
Cesario hesitates.
Just for a second.
That’s all it takes.
My stomach drops.
“What?” I demand, stepping closer. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“We’re still confirming,” he says carefully. “But during the breach… some of them scattered.”
“Scattered?” I repeat, my voice going cold. “You lost them?”
“Not all of them,” he says quickly. “But a few—yeah. We don’t have eyes on them yet.”
Unbelievable.
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh, pacing away from him, my pulse pounding in my ears.
“This is a fucking disaster,” I mutter.
No—worse than that.
This is exposure.
This isweakness.
This is exactly what people wait for.
I stop pacing.
Turn back.
“What about her?” I ask.
The room stills just slightly.
