(Cole)
I was at my desk before most of the office had even turned on their lights. The building was quieter in the morning, not empty, just slower to start moving. That worked better for me because it left less noise to sort through. I didn’t need time to wake up into work, I was already there.
The Calloway file sat open exactly where I left it the night before. Nothing about it had changed, but the position around it had. The pressure I put in place wasn’t something that showed immediately, but it didn’t take long to land. That was the point of doing it cleanly instead of loudly.
My phone lit up once before I reached for anything else. I looked at the screen and saw Ryan’s name before I picked it up. He didn’t call early unless something had already moved. I answered without greeting.
