[Jake's POV]
The storm blew itself out just before dawn, leaving the city of Macau washed clean. The heavy rain had scrubbed the smog from the air, and the early morning light filtering through the penthouse windows was a pale, bruised gray.
I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Li was asleep beside me, her breathing slow and even, her arm draped heavily across my chest. The tension that usually radiated from her in waves was gone.
I carefully slid out from under her arm, making sure not to wake her. I picked up my discarded trousers from the floor, pulled them on, and walked into the master bathroom. I turned the shower on, letting the water hit the tiles to create a layer of white noise, then pulled the encrypted burner phone from my jacket pocket and tapped the earpiece sitting on the counter.
"Overwatch, sitrep," I murmured, keeping my voice low.
