Gareth had been awake since four. He was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling as he always did, methodically reviewing everything.
He looked for angles he hadn't yet explored and those still accessible if he adjusted his approach.
The problem was Cole, not Michael. Michael was understandable, he was a builder who kept his head down, stayed busy, and managed people by providing clear, tangible goals.
Gareth could interpret and adapt to that style. However, Cole was different. When Cole entered through that gate, he integrated seamlessly into the building's structure, as if he was made for it without friction or a need for adjustment.
He was immediately trusted and useful. This all happened within a single afternoon, which revealed to Michael that he had seen in Cole what he hadn't seen in Gareth over five days.
