Chapter 96 Room 1503 Where Truth Bleeds

• Maria stepped out of the biting autumn air and into the Drake Hotel's lobby, the weight of her three identities settling heavier than her winter coat.
• Today, she had chosen a sharp black pencil skirt that hugged her curves and a crisp white blouse that offered a stark contrast—a sort of armor for the battlefield of words she was about to enter. Her heels clicked sharply against the marble floor, each step a reminder of her resolve to stand firm, ready to do battle against shadows that threatened to engulf her.
• The elevator ride to the fifteenth floor stretched eternal. Maria used the time to settle deeper into her skin – not the street soldier Ramirez expected, not Mason's lieutenant, but FBI Agent Maria Vasquez. The badge felt both foreign and familiar after three years undercover.