The afternoon sun hovered lazily over the school compound, casting long shadows across the gates as children poured out in clusters of laughter, chatter, and swinging backpacks. It was a normal day bright, loud, carefree. No one sensed the danger waiting quietly across the street.

A black SUV parked by the curb, its windows slightly tinted, engine humming low. Behind the wheel sat a man in his early forties, sharply dressed, the type who blended easily into any environment. He wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t scared. He was focused — exactly as Lena instructed him.

He tapped the steering wheel lightly, checking the time.

“Two minutes left,” he murmured to himself....