"Yes," Julian said. Quiet. Absolute. "Move as planned."
He straightened his posture as he said it. Something is rearranging itself inside him. Not hardening exactly, more like focusing. The way a lens adjusts until the image sharpens.
"Get cameras in every room. Every floor. I don't care how it's done, I want them in place before the hour is out." He kept his voice low, but there was nothing soft in it.
"Twenty-four-hour surveillance. Every corridor, every entrance, every exit. Nothing, nothing, moves through this building without me knowing about it. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"And I want to know the second Kalian is spotted again. The second. Not a report. Not a summary. You call me."
"Understood."
Julian ended the call.
He stood at the window a moment longer. Not moving. Just thinking. Letting the pieces arrange themselves the way they always did when something that had been quiet started to show its teeth.
Kalian at the hospital.
