Page 1 of Silent Target

1

Evie

Rain hammers against the windows of Langley like someone is trying to break in.

I know better.

Tonight, the danger is already inside.

It’s nearly midnight, and the underground corridor should be empty. Most of the analysts left hours ago. The senior directors disappeared behind secure doors, and the night staff are buried inside windowless rooms, watching screens and pretending the world isn’t always one bad decision away from disaster.

I adjust the strap of my bag and continue toward the secure exit.

My heels make almost no sound against the polished floor.

That isn’t an accident.

I learned years ago how to move quietly through buildings where powerful men believed closed doors made them untouchable.

Listen carefully.

Remember everything.

Never let them know you were close enough to hear.

I pass one closed door.

Then another.

The corridor curves toward the private elevator reserved for executive-level personnel.

I should keep walking.

I almost do.

Then I hear a voice.

Low.

Sharp.

Familiar.

Walter Graves.

I stop.

My pulse doesn’t race. Not yet.

I’ve spent twelve years learning how to keep my expression calm while my instincts scream. I’ve watched men lie to senators, generals, diplomats, and grieving families without blinking.

But Deputy Intelligence Director Walter Graves doesn’t stand in an underground corridor after midnight unless something ugly is happening.

The door ahead is open less than an inch.

A blade of light cuts across the dark floor.

Every instinct tells me to leave.