Playing Along with the Scene

"I breached the Vanguard estate like you asked," Anna said, wind audible in the background. "He had private security waiting. The attempt failed. I lost the bike during the exit and had to move on foot."

"Send your location," Jude said.

A GPS pin appeared on the screen, marking an unfinished industrial site near the waterfront.

"Silas might have recognized my silhouette during the engagement," Anna added. "I failed the assignment, sir."

"Stay down until I get there," Jude said. "I'm 25 minutes out."

He hung up, cut across the median, and headed toward the industrial zone.

A smile touched the corner of his mouth. He didn't need to guess what was happening...

Telling Anna to go after Silas Vanguard's ear had been a direct test of her loyalties.

Silas wasn't going to let that happen, so the obvious counter was a staged failure, using Anna to draw Jude out to an isolated perimeter where they could handle him privately.