Private.24.07.04.barbie.rous.and.renata.fox.gon... -

I glanced at the clock. 5:37 a.m. The city was still a hollow echo of sirens and distant trains. I tossed the coffee, reached for my battered .38, and slid the worn leather notebook onto the desk. It was time to see what the universe— or perhaps just a very determined woman—had decided to throw at me. The Gorgon’s glass façade reflected the rain like a shattered mirror. I slipped through the revolving doors, the security badge I’d borrowed from an old contact flashing green. The elevator chimed, the doors opening onto a hallway that smelled faintly of perfume and cheap whiskey.

“Barbie Rous,” she corrected, as if the answer were a piece of a puzzle I should have already known. “She’s not a toy. She’s a woman— a former intelligence operative who went rogue after a mission went south. She took something valuable… something I need.”

Renata slid a small envelope across the table. Inside: a floor plan, a list of guests, and a single photograph—a woman with platinum hair and a cheekbone so sharp it could cut glass. The caption read: Private.24.07.04.Barbie.Rous.And.Renata.Fox.Gon...

Barbie’s gaze flicked toward me, a flicker of recognition crossing her face. She smiled, a grin that seemed to say, “You’re not supposed to be here, but you’re welcome.” She sauntered over, her heels clicking a rhythm that resonated with the jazz.

She raised an eyebrow. “And what does Renata want?” I glanced at the clock

She smiled, a flash of something both bitter and relieved. “I’m done. I’m done with the game. Give it to Renata. Let her hide it where no one can ever find it.”

“We’re all playing,” I said, my eyes never leaving hers. I tossed the coffee, reached for my battered

I nodded. “And you?”