Daniel was in a meeting when the call came through.
He knew it was important because his assistant had strict instructions about interruptions, and the instructions had three levels, and a seven-year-old in the lobby asking for him by name apparently cleared all three. He excused himself, listened to thirty seconds of explanation, said “put him in the small conference room on four, don’t tell anyone he’s there,” and was moving before he finished the sentence.
He took the stairs.
Noah was already seated when Daniel arrived. Canvas bag on the floor beside his chair, hands folded on the table, school uniform slightly creased from the commute. He looked up when Daniel came in, and the composure on his face was the kind that Daniel recognised from years of working alongside people who had le
