"I think this is a trap, Sophie," Dain muttered, the words slipping out of him before he could stop them. His tone was grim, far too aware of the implications of what they had just uncovered.
"What?" Sophie blinked at him, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his tone.
"Don't be dense, little one," he said, glancing around them as if expecting the shadows to start moving. "What has the Center taught you? Think."
Sophie stared at him, confused. "I—what are you talking about?"
"This feels wrong. All of it." Dain's eyes narrowed as he spoke, his voice sharp, brittle, like a glass edge. "We're walking into a setup. Can't you see it?"
She turned toward him, her brow furrowing, but he didn't wait for her to respond.
"Did you not notice how easily I just hacked into his ID?" he continued, words tumbling out in a torrent now. "It was too easy. Ridiculously easy. This is him we're talking about—the same man who's been ten steps ahead of us since the beginning."
