Chapter 45 Off the Record

***Gideon***

I stare at my phone longer than I should.

Hazel’s message sits unread at the top of the screen—not because I haven’t seen it, but because I know if I answer, I’ll anchor myself back to the office. To her. To normalcy.

And nothing about today is normal.

I lock the phone and slip it into my jacket just as the port authority advisor clears his throat.

He’s sweating.

Not from heat—the roo