Ava
pulled herself up,
boots hitting the cracked pavement. The air outside and light hit differently.
Lucas stood
exactly as expected—calm, composed, already smirking.
Golden eyes flicked over her, sharp and
too knowing.
"Took your time, Beauty."
Ava rolled her shoulders, shaking off the last of the tension.
"Didn't have a choice."
Lucas's smirk widened.
"There's always a choice."
"Then let's talk about mine."
Lucas move closer showing interest as he let her talk. Let her vent out her frustration.
"Next time you drag me into something," she said, voice even. "I want the full deal. No half-truths. No hidden risks."
Lucas's expression didn't change.
"And if I say no?"
Ava smirked.
"Then you find yourself another helper. I'm out."
Lucas studied her.
Silent. Measuring making sure she wasn't bluffing.
Then—
he laughed.
Low. Amused.
"Now that," he murmured, golden eyes gleaming,
"is an expensive demand."
Ava tilted her head.
"Can you afford it?"
Lucas stepped closer, the space between them
shrinking.
His voice dropped.
"I always pay for quality."
Ava's pulse
didn't waver.
"Then double my cut."
Lucas chuckled.
"Greedy."
Then—
Lucas extended a hand.
"Done."
Ava looked at him.
Then—
she shook.
The handshake was brief.
Final.
Lucas
grinned, satisfied.
"Now that we're business partners, Beauty, I assume you have something interesting for me."
Ava crossed her arms. "The tunnels aren't empty."
Lucas's smirk didn't fade.
But his gaze sharpened.
"Go on."
Ava exhaled, rolling the tension from her shoulders. "I ran into something. Not a mutant. Not a scavenger." She paused. "Not human anymore."
Lucas tilted his head.
Listening. Processing.
Ava continued.
"It was fast. Strong. And wrong."
She didn't bother dressing it up. Didn't try to downplay it.
The thing she fought was a monster.
Lucas hummed. "Describe it."
Ava's fingers twitched, her system flashing the
memory of the encounter.
The
disjointed limbs. The unhinged mouth. The twisted bones and unnatural speed.
A thing that had once been
human
—but was now something
else.
She met Lucas's gaze.
"Whatever it was, it wasn't an accident."
Lucas raised a brow. "You think it was made?"
Ava didn't blink. "I think it was tested."
Silence.
For the first time since she'd met him,
Lucas didn't smile.
His golden eyes gleamed, cold and unreadable.
"That complicates things."
Ava waited.
She'd seen him like this before—
silent, calculating, shifting through every angle before speaking.
Then—
he exhaled, shaking his head.
"Beauty, I don't like surprises."
Ava raised a brow.
"Neither do I."
"If you're right—and I assume you are—then that means one of two things." He lifted a hand, ticking off fingers as he talked.
"One: Someone's running experiments underground, and it got out of control."
Ava's jaw
tightened.
"And two?"
Lucas's smirk was
slow. Sharp.
"Two: It didn't get out of control at all."
The words
hung between them.
Heavy. Dangerous.
Ava didn't flinch.
Didn't look away.
Because she'd thought the same thing.
Someone had made that
thing.
And maybe—
just maybe—
They were
making more.
Lucas finally moved, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking off the weight of the conversation.
"Either way," he murmured,
"I need more information."
Ava
exhaled.
"You want me to go back."
Lucas grinned. "No, Beauty. I want us to go back."
Ava stared at him.
Flat. Unimpressed.
Lucas just winked.
"Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"
Ava just
stared at him flatly.
Lucas Bai, standing there with his
easy smirk, golden eyes gleaming, acting like this wasn't the worst idea he'd ever had.
"
You want us to go back.
"
Lucas nodded, completely unfazed. "
Obviously.
"
Ava exhaled, rubbing a hand over her face. "
Lucas, I barely made it out alive.
"
"
And yet—here you are.
"
Ava dropped her hand, glaring. "
It nearly killed me.
"
Lucas grinned.
"But it didn't."
Ava's fingers
twitched.
She could walk away right now.
Tell him to do this himself.
Except—
he wouldn't.
Ava's jaw
tightened.
Again.
Damn him.
She'd barely made it out
once.
Ava exhaled, rubbing at her temple. "
We go down once. We get proof from the thing I kill. And then we leave. No buts. No ifs.
"
Lucas grinned, golden eyes gleaming.
"Spoken like a true business partner."
Ava pointed a finger at him. "
This isn't a contract. I walk when I want. If it goes wrong I'm running fast. Leaving you down there with those thing.
"
Lucas chuckled.
Damn him.
Her fingers curled into a
tight fist.
She exhaled sharply. "
Let's go over this again.
"
Lucas smirked. "
Beauty, I love when you sound like me.
"
Ava ignored him.
"
I take you to the body. You get your proof.
"
Lucas nodded. "
Correct.
"
"
Then we come right back up.
"
Lucas hummed. "
In theory.
"
Ava
stopped walking.
Turned.
Narrowed her eyes.
"
Wrong Asnwer.
" Her voice was flat.
"Not 'in theory.' The deal is we go down. Look at one thing. We come up. We leave alive unharm.
"
Lucas faced her fully now,
watching her carefully.
A beat of silence.
Then—
he tilted his head.
"
And if we find something bigger?
"
Ava's stomach
tightened.
She already knew what he was doing.
Setting up his escape routes. His justifications.
Lucas Bai was
always negotiating.
Always
leaving space for the game to change.
She gritted her teeth.
"
Then we reassess.
"
Lucas grinned. "
See? That's all I wanted to hear.
"
Ava exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders.
She knew what this was.
A bad idea.
A
risk she wouldn't have taken for anyone else.
But Lucas Bai wasn't
anyone else.
So she shoved down the part of her
screaming at her to run
—and walk right back to the rusted maintenance hatch still hanging open from her escape.
The tunnels waited.
Cold. Silent.
Hungry.
Lucas exhaled behind her, all lazy amusement. "After you, Beauty."
Ava
rolled her eyes.
"
Coward.
"
Lucas chuckled. "
No, no. I'm just polite. Ladies first.
"
Ava didn't hesitate.
Didn't give herself time to think about
how bad of an idea this was.
She swung her legs over the edge—and
dropped down the hole she just climp up from into HELL.