The rain started just before sunset, and by the time Seraphina's car entered the underground parking structure beneath the Grand Meridian Hotel, the city streets above were already shining with reflected lights and blurred traffic. She noticed the second vehicle immediately, a black sedan with tinted windows, parked three rows away from the private executive entrance. The black sedan had been parked there yesterday and two days before that, but it had a different license plate and the same driver.
She stepped out of the car slowly, adjusting the sleeve of her coat while Marcus moved ahead toward the elevator corridor.
"Ma'am," he said quietly in his earpiece, "the security sweep is clear."
Seraphina gave a small nod but did not answer immediately; her attention lingered briefly on the parked sedan. The driver never looked directly at her, which made it worse because professionals avoided obvious observation.
