Chapter One: The End of the Map

Evelyn quickly covered her ticket. Jonas forced a professional smile. “An immersive compensation activity. The company must have arranged it. We'll wait in the hotel until daylight.” Lin looked at him. “How does the company know whose watch Roman lost?” For one second, his smile vanished. Sergei opened the luggage bay. Nine suitcases stood beside ten brass room keys, all tagged THE HOUSE WITHOUT DREAMS. “Ten keys,” Amara said. “One spare,” Jonas answered too quickly. Lin had spent ten years managing public crises. The most dangerous sign of a lie was not hesitation. It was an answer arriving before the question had finished.