"You still awake?"

Ben's voice crackled through the team’s secure group chat like a late-night whisper in the dark.

Leo blinked at the screen of his phone. He hadn't expected anyone else to be up. He typed back quickly:

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Same. Meet me in the hallway?"

Leo hesitated for a second, then slid off the hotel bed. The floor was cold beneath his feet, but his nerves were hotter than ever. He threw on a hoodie and cracked his door open, peeking into the quiet corridor. ...