I wore the dress.

No underwear, as instructed. The fabric felt too light against my skin as I walked the empty fifteenth-floor corridor at 5:58 p.m. The building had the same hollow quiet as the previous evenings. Only the lamp in Adrian Kane’s office still burned. I did not knock. I opened the door, stepped inside, and locked it behind me.

Adrian stood near the window with his back to me, phone pressed to his ear. He did not turn around. He simply raised one hand and pointed at the desk while he finished his call in a low, clipped voice. I walked to the desk, set my bag on...