Dickson coughed hard, struggling to catch his breath. Ash still hung in the air around them as the building behind them crackled under the blaze.
He looked over at Liam with dazed, reddened eyes. "That… was definitely staged."
Liam didn't even argue. He nodded once and pressed two fingers to his ear.
"Vanessa," he said through the comm, his voice flat and serious, "they knew you were watching. They waited for us."
There was a pause on the other end, and then Vanessa's voice came through, thick with frustration and guilt. "Damn it… I should've known. Of course, if they were transporting actual serums, they'd have taken out the cameras right after. I was stupid."
Liam exhaled and shook his head slightly. "It could've happened to anyone," he said calmly. "Don't beat yourself up."
But even he knew things were getting worse.
