[POV: Jack Monroe]

"The numbers aren't balancing, Elena. I’ve looked at the Meristate ledger three times, and there is a gaping hole where the 2022 acquisition should be. Why is my own security detail blocking me from the archive backups?"

Jack Monroe leaned heavily against his mahogany desk, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the wood. The room was bathed in the amber glow of sunset, but to Jack, the light felt like needles stabbing into his retinas. A rhythmic thumping had taken up residence behind his left eye, a dull percussion that grew louder every time he tried to focus on the woman standing by the...