The tower room was a lucky break.

Leon had scoped the campus from three different vantage points before settling on this one—high enough for a clean line of sight, isolated enough to avoid interruptions, and positioned just right to overlook the Biology R&D building across the quad. Dr. Damien Viktov’s lab sat on the third floor. East wing. Reinforced glass, but not enough to stop a high-caliber round if the angle was right.

He slipped inside the dorm quietly, lock already bypassed before the student inside even realized the door had opened.

Not ideal.

The kid—no, not a kid, a college student—sat at their desk, buried in notes, completely unaware. For a split second, Leon considered backing out and finding another position. But time wasn’t on his side. Viktov had a tight schedule, and this was the shot.

So he moved.

Fast.

Crossing the room in two strides, Leon grabbed them by the arm and pulled them up before they could react properly, guiding—firm, but controlled—them toward the bed. No unnecessary force. No panic if he could help it.

“Easy,” he muttered under his breath, more habit than reassurance.

He set the rifle down just long enough to push the desk closer to the window, then climbed up, forcing the latch open with a quiet shove. Cool air spilled in as the campus stretched out below him—students walking, talking, living their lives, completely unaware of what was happening right under their noses.

Or what Viktov was doing to some of them.

Leon brought the rifle up, settling into position. Scope aligned. Breathing steady.

There.

Movement behind the glass. A figure in a lab coat. Blond. Viktov.

Leon adjusted slightly, finger resting near the trigger—but not yet.

Behind him, he could feel the student’s presence, tense, confused, probably trying to make sense of the situation. He didn’t need them panicking. Didn’t need them running. Not when campus security would be all over this the second a shot rang out.

He glanced back over his shoulder, voice low, controlled.

“Just keep your head down, alright?” he said. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

A beat passed, his gaze sharpening slightly.

“But I am going to need your help if we’re both getting out of this without a crowd.”