CHAPTER 28 —

The city answered late again — a streetlight flickered a beat after dusk like it was apologizing for not being more useful — and inside the little war-room everyone moved with that weary, precise energy people get when they’ve run out of panic and are left with work.

Nicole stood by the window, forehead against cool glass. The skyline blurred into watercolor and the baby kicked, hard and insistent: three short taps, then a pause. It felt like a small drum: Focus. Now. ...