The night wind whispers softly in the backyard of the old house.
Tree leaves shift, casting long shadows across the damp ground.
Yet none of them pay attention to the scene now.
All eyes are fixed on the man standing a few meters in front of Ethan.
Richard Blackwood's right-hand man.
Victor Hale still looks pale.
"I've seen him before," he murmurs.
Daniel does not turn his head.
"Of course you have."
Leonard Graves stands slightly ahead of them now, his body relaxed but his eyes calculating.
The man watches them all with a calm expression.
"My name is Adrian Cole," he says at last.
He looks at Ethan politely.
"Mr. Blackwood asked me to retrieve something from you."
Ethan stands tall.
The flash drive in his pocket feels like the most precious object in the world.
"If he wants it," Ethan says coldly, "he can come himself."
Adrian Cole smiles faintly.
"I suspected you would say that."
Several armed men behind him shift slightly, adjusting their positions.
