CASSIAN
I stood on the sidewalk, a solitary figure against the fading opulence of the hotel, and watched the taillights of Noah's car bleed into the evening traffic.
I didn't move until the vehicle was entirely out of sight, lost behind a corner three blocks away. Only then did I reach into my coat pocket and pull out my phone.
I opened a dedicated, encrypted app. Immediately, a high-definition live feed flickered to life.
A camera mounted discreetly in the backseat of the lead SUV showed Noah. He was sitting precisely where I had left him, his head leaned back against the headrest, staring out the window at the passing city. He looked small, thoughtful, and profoundly sad... but he was breathing, and he was moving toward the airport.
