Roan's call came just after midnight, and the tension in his voice was enough to tell Ezra, before a single word of substance had been spoken, that whatever pause Cole had granted them at the gala had finally, decisively ended.

"He's moving," Roan said, without preamble. "Tonight, tomorrow at the latest. My source inside says the associates voted to act before Elaine's story goes any further, on the theory that a fast, contained resolution is less damaging than letting the exposure risk keep compounding. They're not interested in the material anymore, not primarily. They've decided the fastest way to make the threat disappear is to make the two of you...