Grayson heard Pete Rowan make a sound through his teeth—half hiss, half exhale, from holding back frustration for too long.
[As expected. They contacted the family first.]
"Explain." Grayson's voice dropped half a register, settling into the low, controlled tone.
Pete Rowan exhaled, a little ragged.
[The Mecha Research Institute was hit tonight. A full breach. Every person inside, down to the basement levels—all dead. All of them who were in the building at the time. Dead.]
Grayson's eyes narrowed and asked, "Was anything taken? Research data? Prototypes?"
[That's the thing.] Pete Rowan's confusion could be heard through the call. [Nothing. Not a single file, not a chip, not a component. They killed everyone and left everything untouched.]
Silence.
Grayson's mind ran, sorting possibilities.
An attack on a Maxwell-affiliated research facility. Zero theft, which meant that the target wasn't the data.
