The echo of the shot still lingered in Washington.
Chaos swarmed the Capitol steps—people screaming, security shielding officials, camera crews capturing every frantic second.
But Lena was already moving like smoke. She slipped down the stairwell of the rooftop, her sniper rifle disassembled into a compact case. By the time sirens screamed through the streets, she was just another figure in the panicked crowd, her face blank, her stride unhurried.
A black SUV pulled alongside her as she turned a corner. The rear door swung open. Gabriel’s man motioned her inside.
The moment she slid in, Gabriel was waiting with a wide grin, cigar clamped between his teeth. He poured himself a glass of whiskey, his eyes alight with satisfaction.
“Perfect,” he said, clapping once. “Not a tremor. Not a s
