For one second, nobody moved. Vivian stared at Ethan as if the dead had actually risen.

"Ethan?"

Lucas stood. "Security."

That broke the spell. Two guards moved from the wall while Ethan kept walking.

Vivian stepped into the aisle. "Wait."

Lucas grabbed her arm

Claire Dawson did not wait for permission. She walked to the ballroom screen, connected her laptop, and opened the evidence index. The first page was simple: a date, a Hart medical record, a restricted transfer, a research code. Then another date, another trans

Smoke swallowed the ballroom doors as the nearest exit filled with people. Hotel staff shouted directions while alarms hammered overhead. Ethan pulled Vivian toward the far side of the room.

"Move."

She stumbled. Blood had soaked through the cloth pressed to