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The line clicks, and a voice comes through. “Mr. Gromov. My name is Ethan Mercer. I believe you have something of mine.”

I recognize the name from Davina’s file. He must be the government consultant who hired her for the job. The one who sent her into my systems without telling her what she was really accessing.

“I have a great many things, Mr. Mercer. You’ll need to be more specific.”

A pause. “Davina White. She was taken from her car a night ago, and all evidence points to your organization.”

“You have evidence?”

“Enough to know she’s with you.”

I consider how to respond. I could deny it, but there’s no point—he already knows, or he wouldn’t be calling. I could confirm it, but that would give him information he doesn’t necessarily have. Instead, I choose a different approach.

“Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Ms. White is currently my guest. What would you like me to do about that?”

The line is quiet for a moment. When Mercer speaks again, his voice is tighter. “Is she safe?”

“That depends on your definition of safety.”

“She’s a civilian. She was doing a job she was hired to do. She doesn’t have any information that would be useful to you.”

“I disagree.” I lean back in my chair, watching the security feed in the corner of my screen. Davina is sitting on the couch now, her head tilted back, staring at the ceiling. “She accessed my systems for more than eighteen hours. She saw things that very few people outside my organization have ever seen. That makes her more than a civilian.”

“She was hired to do a compliance audit. She didn’t know what she was accessing.”

“Then she should have asked more questions.”

Another pause. I can almost hear Mercer calculating his next move, trying to figure out how to navigate this conversation in a way that gets him what he wants.

“What do you want?” he asks finally.

“I want to know who sent her.”

“I did. I told you, she was hired for a—”

“Not who hired her. Who sent her.” I let the distinction hang in the air. “You’re not just a consultant, Mr. Mercer. You’re with an agency. I want to know which one, and I want to know what they’re planning to do with the data she extracted.”

“I can’t give you that information.”

“Then we have nothing to discuss.”

I wait. The silence stretches. On the screen, Davina shifts on the couch, pulling her legs up underneath her.

“The agency has obtained significant evidence of your financial operations,” Mercer says. “Money laundering, offshore accounts, shell companies. We have enough to build a case that would significantly impact your organization.”

“I’m aware.” I’ve known about the agency’s interest in us for months. It’s one of the reasons I had my systems upgraded, one of the reasons I was watching for exactly the kind of intrusion Davina performed. “You didn’t call to threaten me, you called because of her.”

There’s a sound on the other end—a sharp exhale, quickly controlled. Mercer is not as composed as he’s trying to appear.

“She’s important to this operation,” he says. “Her safety is a priority.”

“Her safety is my priority as well. For now.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means she’s unharmed. It means she’s being treated well, given food and water and a comfortable place to stay. It means I have no immediate plans to hurt her.” I pause. “Her continued safety depends on what happens next.”

“What do you want?”