Inside Marlene’s sleek black leather bag lay a single, heavy object wrapped in dark velvet, sitting right beside a thick sheaf of legal papers and three vials of unlabeled liquid.

Inside Hangar 4, the air was cold and smelled strongly of aviation fuel and exhaust.

Standing near the base of the plane’s rear loading ramp was Victor Vance, wearing a dark trench coat, holding a heavy walking stick topped with a silver eagle head. Beside him stood two men holding Lily, who was bound at the wrists with zip-ties, her small face streaked with dirt and tears.

"Daddy!" Lily cried out the moment she saw me, trying to pull away from the guard’s grip.

"I'm here, Lily," I said softly, keeping my eyes fixed on Vance as I stopped ten feet from them. "I'm right here."

"A touching reunion," Vance sneered, stepping forward and tapping his silver stick against the concrete. "Toss the drive over, David."

"First, cut her ties and let her walk to me," I demanded, holding the drive firmly between my fingers. "You get the keys when she touches my hand."

Vance smiled thinly, gesturing to the guard. The guard pulled a combat knife, sliced the zip-ties on Lily’s wrists, and gave her a slight push forward.

"Go to your father, little girl," Vance purred.

Lily sprinted across the concrete, her small arms reaching out for me. I dropped to my knees, catching her in a fierce embrace, lifting her into my arms and tucking her head safely into the crook of my shoulder.

"Hold on tight, baby," I whispered in her ear.

I tossed the silver USB drive onto the concrete at Vance’s feet.

Vance knelt, picking up the drive with a greedy chuckle, plugging it into a handheld diagnostic tablet. The screen flashed bright green: Access Granted—Full Asset Transfer Initiated.

"Splendid," Vance chuckled, pocketing the drive and looking up at me with eyes as dead as a viper's. "Now... as for the two of you. I can't leave any loose ends, David. Marlene learned that lesson the hard way tonight."