Ava didn't run. Not yet.
But the moment
Jessica spoke to the military officers
, Ava adjusted her grip on her bag of tech and
shifted her stance.
Prepared. Calculating. Ready.
Lucas, walking beside her, kept his
usual unbothered expression
, but his golden eyes were
tracking every movement
across the trade floor.
William Zhou moved first—casual, smooth, but
directly cutting off the fastest route Jessica could take to reach them.
Ava exhaled. "How bad?"
Lucas smiled, sharp and easy. "We'll find out soon, Beauty."
And then—
One of the
military officers turned.
Locked eyes with Lucas.
And started walking.
Ava tensed.
Lucas?
He smiled.
Not friendly.
Not kind.
Just the kind of smile that said:
Try me.
The officer stopped a few feet away. Broad-shouldered, stiff posture,
standard military gear.
His name tag read
Lt. Renshaw.
Lucas tilted his head. "Something I can help you with, Lieutenant?"
Renshaw's gaze flicked over him. Then to Ava. "You're trading a lot of
high-value goods, Bai.
That tends to attract attention."
Lucas sighed, shaking his head. "And here I thought free trade was still allowed."
Renshaw's jaw tightened. "Depends on where the goods came from."
Ava barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.
Of course.
Lucas chuckled, reaching into his jacket—
slowly
, so the soldiers didn't overreact. He pulled out a
single token.
Held it up between his fingers.
"Depends," he murmured. "Are we talking about
my goods? Or my payment?
"
Renshaw's eyes
narrowed.
Ava's stomach
twisted.
Because
this wasn't just about the trades anymore.
Lucas had been pushing the Token System all day.
And now?
The military was taking notice.
A beat of silence.
Then Renshaw exhaled. "Come with me."
Lucas didn't blink. "No."
Ava inhaled sharply.
William shifted slightly, boots planting just a bit firmer. Ready.
Renshaw's voice hardened. "That wasn't a request, Bai."
Lucas smiled.
Didn't move.
"You see, Lieutenant," he murmured, golden eyes gleaming, "the problem with trying to detain a businessman is
business never stops moving.
"
Ava's fingers twitched.
The air
shifted.
The kind of shift Ava had learned to recognize
right before violence broke out.
Lucas hadn't moved.
William hadn't moved.
The soldiers hadn't moved.
But
everything
was tense.
And
Jessica?
She was still standing a few stalls away, watching with
too much interest.
Ava's grip tightened on the strap of her bag.
Lucas, still looking entirely
too relaxed
, twirled the
token
between his fingers.
"You want me to go with you?" he murmured. "Fine."
Ava's stomach twisted.
No.
"But," Lucas continued, "I don't do unpaid meetings, Lieutenant. You want my time?"
He flicked the token up, caught it, and smiled.
"You
pay
for it."
Renshaw's jaw
locked.
"You think this is a game, Bai?"
Lucas chuckled. "No, no.
I think this is a business transaction.
And last I checked—" he gestured vaguely to the trade stalls around them— "
this is a marketplace.
"
Ava felt the
exact
moment Renshaw's patience snapped.
Because his hand
moved.
Straight for his
sidearm.
Lucas didn't give him the chance.
Before the Lieutenant's fingers could even
touch
his holster—
Lucas flicked the token forward.
A small,
harmless
motion—
Except that it clipped
right against Renshaw's wrist.
Just enough for a tiny, involuntary flinch.
And in that
half-second hesitation?
William
moved.
His body shifted between Lucas and Renshaw in a single smooth motion—
not aggressive, but unmistakably a warning.
Ava barely breathed.
Renshaw's hand
froze.
Lucas sighed dramatically. "See, this is why I charge for my time, Lieutenant. Uncivilized interruptions."
Renshaw's fingers twitched at his side, but he didn't go for the gun again.
Not yet.
Ava
inhaled.
She could feel
where this was going.
"You're pushing your luck, Bai," Renshaw muttered.
Lucas smiled.
"Always."
A long pause.
Then Renshaw exhaled sharply. "Fine. Keep your damn trades. But don't think for a second this conversation is over."
Lucas's smirk didn't falter. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Renshaw took a slow step back.
But before he turned to leave—
His gaze flicked toward Ava.
Something assessing.
Calculating.
And then—
To Jessica.
Jessica, who
hadn't stopped watching.
Waiting.
Ava
clenched her jaw.
And just like that—
the soldiers left.
But Jessica?
She was still there.
And
that
was a problem.
Ava moved first.
She didn't hesitate.
Didn't wait for Lucas's signal.
Jessica was a
tracker. A rat. A problem that needed handling.
Ava stalked toward her, cutting through the crowded market like a
blade slicing silk.
Jessica's smirk flickered. She took a half-step back.
Good. Run.
Too late.
Ava grabbed her wrist—
tight.
Jessica inhaled sharply, yanking back, but Ava
didn't let go.
"Eavesdropping, Tang?"
Ava's voice was light.
"Or just desperate for attention?"
Jessica's smirk returned, but her eyes were
too wide. Too alert.
"Relax, Ava."
She laughed, fake as ever.
"I was just watching. Didn't know that was illegal."
Ava
leaned in.
Lowered her voice.
"You didn't tell them about me."
Jessica stiffened.
Ava saw it—the microsecond of hesitation.
Lucas was suddenly at her side, golden gaze
lazily amused.
"Now, Beauty, play nice."
Ava smiled.
"I am."
She yanked Jessica closer, enough to whisper against her ear.
"You were going to. That's why you waited."
Jessica's breath
hitched.
Ava didn't give her the chance to recover.
She pulled a
small, thin blade
from her sleeve—nothing deadly, just
sharp enough to hurt
—and pressed it against
Jessica's side.
Jessica's entire body
locked.
"Don't."
Ava's voice was pure ice.
"Think. About. Selling. Me. Out."
Jessica's pulse
jumped beneath Ava's grip.
"I—I wasn't—"
Ava
twisted the blade—just enough.
Jessica
squeaked.
A small, pathetic sound.
Lucas sighed.
"Now, now. No permanent damage, Beauty. We do need her to run back to her masters in one piece."
Ava exhaled sharply—
then let go.
Jessica stumbled back, breath
ragged.
Her hand hovered over her side,
as if expecting blood.
There was none.
But the
fear?
That stayed.
Jessica's face
flushed with humiliation.
She opened her mouth,
probably to spit something petty—
Then she saw
William.
Standing behind Lucas.
Watching.
Silent.
Jessica
swallowed hard.
She
turned and ran.
Pushing through the crowd, disappearing into the chaos.
Ava
exhaled slowly.
She slipped the blade back into her sleeve, looking up at Lucas.
He was
grinning.
"You are terrifying when you want to be, Beauty."
Ava rolled her shoulders.
"She'll talk."
Lucas's smirk didn't fade.
"Of course she will."
Ava sighed.
"Then what's the plan?"
Lucas
tapped his chin.
"Simple. We stay ahead of the problem."
Ava clenched her fists.
Because Jessica
would talk.
And when she did—
They'd have an even bigger problem waiting.