[Jake's POV]
The armored Mercedes Maybach idled in the alley behind the Golden Koi.
The rain had stopped, but the air hadn't. It was thick, humid, clinging to the back of my neck and the inside of my collar. Every breath felt damp. The alley smelled like wet concrete, diesel, and old garbage from the bins pushed against the brick wall. Somewhere above, water dripped from a fire escape and hit the hood of the car.
_Tink. Tink. Tink._
I stood by the open rear door, adjusting the cuffs of my charcoal suit. The fabric was cool and heavy. I had swapped the shoulder rig for an inside-the-waistband carry. The jacket laid flat. No lines. The suppressed USP pressed against the small of my back. Subsonic hollow points. I could feel the ceramic blade strapped to my left ankle through the sock. Cold. Light. Invisible to a metal detector.
The rear door of the parlor banged open.
Ethan came out.
