SERA

She was waiting for me.

I found the recording at nine in the evening. By nine fifteen I was down the hallway, still in my training clothes, the recorder clutched in my hand like evidence, heading for Kael's office with the intention of playing the whole thing for him and blowing Cora's operation apart.

I should have thought about why she'd addressed me directly on the recording. I should have wondered why a woman as meticulous as Cora would lay out her entire plan on a device she knew I'd ...