The minutes passed very slowly inside the private room. After Timothy sent the message to Sarah, Daniel’s guards led the shaking young man out to a separate holding area down the hall.

That left only the four of them in the main office suite. Nobody spoke for a long while, and the silence made the ticking of the wall clock sound very loud.

​Marcus sat at a small side desk near the corner of the room, his eyes fixed on his laptop. Because the workspace was so tight, Daniel had to pull up a small chair right next to him to watch the screen. Their shoulders were almost touching.

​Marcus shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat and trying to lean away toward the wall. "You do not have to sit so close to me, Daniel. I can tell you the moment the screen changes."

​"I am the head of security, Marcus," Daniel said, his voice low and steady. "It is my job to watch the source. Just do your work and ignore me."

​"It is a bit hard to ignore a giant sitting two inches away from my arm," Marcus muttered, his fingers tapping a single key over and over just to keep his hands busy.

​Daniel turned his head, looking at the side of Marcus’s face. The memory of their sudden, accidental kiss a few weeks ago seemed to hang in the space between them. Neither of them had spoken about it since it happened, burying themselves in work instead. But now, stuck at the same small table, the tension was returning.

​"About the other day," Daniel started quietly, keeping his voice low enough so Julius and Harrison would not hear from the other side of the room.

​Marcus froze, his fingers stopping on the keyboard. His face turned a slight shade of red. "We do not need to talk about that. It was an accident. It means nothing."

​"I did not say it meant anything," Daniel replied, though his tone was softer than usual. He leaned his back against his chair, his eyes dropping to the glowing monitor. "I am just saying you do not need to be so jumpy around me. We are on the same team. I trust you with the tech, and you need to trust me with the safety."

​Marcus looked over, meeting Daniel’s eyes for a brief moment. The hard, critical look that Daniel usually wore was completely gone, replaced by something much more human and relaxed. Marcus let out a short breath, his shoulders finally dropping a bit. "Fine. I am sorry for being touchy. Let’s just focus on catching Sarah."

​"Agreed," Daniel said, a small, genuine smile appearing on his face before he turned his attention back to the screen.

​Across the room, Julius stood by the wide window, looking out at the city streets below. The view showed cars moving like small toys far away, completely unaware of the danger unfolding inside the building.

He felt a large, warm presence move up behind him. Harrison stood close, his chest almost touching Julius’s back, offering his familiar support without saying a word.

​Julius leaned back slightly, letting his head rest against Harrison’s chest. "It feels strange to just sit here and wait."

​Harrison placed a large hand on Julius’s waist, his grip gentle but incredibly firm. "Your father was a smart man, Julius. But you have done everything right. The trap is set, and the enemy is walking blindly into it. You need to rest your mind."

​Julius turned around inside Harrison’s hold, looking up into the dark eyes of the man who had protected him through the worst moments of his life. "Harrison, what happens to this company when all of this is over? When we finally find the real drive?"

​Harrison looked down at him, his expression softening in a way that he only showed when they were completely alone. "Whatever you want to happen, baby. If you want to run this place every single day, I will be right here to back you up. If you want to sell it and walk away to a quiet place where nobody knows our names, I will follow you there too."

​Julius felt a small smile form on his lips, the constant worry in his chest easing up. "You would really walk away from your city territory just for me?"

​"I told you before," Harrison murmured, his voice dropping into a deep, tender tone as his fingers moved up to stroke Julius’s cheek. "The city means nothing to me without you in it. I lived in the dark for a long time believing I was completely alone in the world. I am not letting you go."

​Julius wrapped his arms around Harrison’s neck, pulling him closer. They stayed like that for several minutes, enjoying the quiet comfort of each other’s embrace, away from the constant threat of the Logan pack, Arthur, and the mysterious secrets of the data drive. It was a rare, peaceful moment in the middle of a storm.

​Suddenly, a loud beep broke the silence of the office.

​"We have a hit!" Marcus shouted, his voice instantly returning to his normal, fast pace.

​Julius and Harrison broke apart quickly, walking over to the small desk where Marcus and Daniel were already leaning over the laptop. The screen was flashing with a bright green notification light.

​"Did she reply?" Julius asked, his heart beating a little faster against his ribs. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

​"Yes, and she fell for the whole thing," Marcus said, pointing at the live text appearing on the screen. "Look at the message. She thinks Timothy is completely safe inside the system."

​Julius read the words aloud from the monitor. "The text says: Good job. I knew you could handle the interview. Do not wait for tomorrow morning. Send the internal files to this link right now so I can verify the access."

​Daniel let out a low, rough laugh, his hand coming down to pat Marcus firmly on the shoulder, making the smaller man jump slightly. "The girl thinks she is the smartest person in the city, and she just walked straight into a trap."

​Harrison looked down at the screen, his face hardening once more as his cold, dominant demeanor returned in full force.

The time for waiting was completely over. He looked at Marcus, his eyes dark with anticipation. "Load the fake file packet with the hidden tracking code onto the line. Let’s give her exactly what she is asking for."