Leo slipped behind the thick curtain while Luna crossed the room to unlock the door with unsteady fingers.
He wrapped his shadow shroud around his limbs, letting his physical presence sink into the deep folds of the drapes.
The shadow ether seeped from his pores like chilling water, allowing him to observe the room while remaining unseen.
The lock turned with a distinct click, and the front door swung open on its hinges.
Bekka stepped into the entryway, balancing an extra-large cardboard box on her palm while her gym bag slung over her shoulder.
She carried herself with the athletic poise of a dancer, her auburn hair pulled back into a tight ponytail.
She took three paces into the room, paused, and let her keen eyes scan the space in a slow circle.
Her gaze ticked over the low table where two soup bowls sat, one scraped clean and the other still steaming.
She spotted his work shoes drying on a newspaper by the radiator, clearly crafted for a broad frame.
Finally, her eyes locked onto Luna, who stood in the center of the room with her face burning crimson.
Bekka’s grin arrived like a sudden sunrise, her green eyes flashing with unmistakable delight as she set the box down.
"Wait just a second," Bekka said, pointing an accusing finger at her friend.
"Luna, sweetie, do you actually have a man hiding in here tonight?"
"That’s ridiculous!" Luna stammered, waving her hands frantically to erase the obvious evidence from the room.
"Sit down and eat before the cheese gets cold and ruined!"
"Two soup bowls on the table," Bekka counted, circling the modest room like an investigator examining a crime scene.
"Large work shoes by the radiator, and you look like you just survived a passionate romantic hurricane on that couch."
"He’s not a boyfriend, he’s just a colleague from the clinic!" Luna insisted, her voice climbing in desperation.
"Those feet are just for charity donations to poor laborers!"
"Charity donation feet," Bekka laughed, pulling a slice of pizza free with stringy cheese trailing behind her fingers.
"Luna, I interrogate underworld suspects for a living, so you really need to work on your alibis."
"You interrogate dangerous criminals, not your closest friends!" Luna protested, crossing her arms defensively.
"Everyone is a suspect before dinner," Bekka replied with a cheerful smirk, taking a hearty bite of her toasted slice.
"Especially when my innocent nurse friend has a suspicious red mark forming on the side of her neck."
Luna’s hand flew to her throat, her face flushing even deeper as she tried to hide the mark of their recent kiss.
"It’s a burn from my hot curler!" Luna lied, her voice shaking as she adjusted her collar.
"Sure it is, honey," Bekka chuckled, pulling the second soup bowl toward herself and digging in with a spoon.
"This soup is amazing, by the way, which proves you cooked it to impress someone special."
Luna busied herself wiping down the counter, throwing anxious glances toward the balcony every few seconds.
Bekka chewed slowly, letting her eyes wander around the cramped apartment until her gaze drifted toward the shadowed window.
Leo held his breath behind the drapes, keeping his posture relaxed and his heartbeat steady as the licensed hero looked his way.
’Keep eating the pizza,’ he thought, letting his shadow shroud mute the faint hum of the Null Razor.
’Don’t go wandering over to the window.’
Bekka frowned faintly at the dark window, tilting her head as if sensing a sudden draft flowing from the seam.
She started to rise from her chair, her hand drifting toward the gym bag where her combat gauntlets rested.
"Is that window unlatched?" Bekka asked, taking a step toward the curtain with her brow furrowed in curiosity.
"Have more soup!" Luna blurted out, lunging forward to thrust a fresh piece of bread into her friend’s hands.
"You said you were starving after training, so eat the bread while it’s still hot and tender!"
Bekka looked at the bread, then looked at Luna’s panicked expression, and finally burst into another round of laughter.
"Fine, I’ll spare you for now," Bekka said, sitting back down with a playful shake of her head.
"I’ve known you since we were kids, and you never flush this red without a very good reason."
They ate together in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Bekka’s playful expression tightened into serious frustration.
"I can’t stay long anyway," Bekka sighed, setting her crust onto the cardboard lid with an annoyed scowl.
"The whole division got scrambled tonight, and every off-duty hero was ordered to report for a midnight raid."
"What happened in the district?" Luna asked, leaning against the counter with genuine concern in her eyes.
"Boss Flint happened," Bekka answered, her voice dropping into a harsh growl that showed her professional combat edge.
"That slime is running an emergency black-market auction at The Pit tonight, selling off live alien beasts from the crash."
"The dockworkers talk about that colosseum like an impenetrable fortress," Luna remarked, her eyes widening.
"It is a fortress, and the Association commanders want us to sit on the perimeter while corporate lawyers argue about warrants."
"Won’t the syndicate move the merchandise by then?" Luna asked in disbelief as she set down her cleaning cloth.
"Of course they will," Bekka snapped, her jaw tightening with righteous anger at the bureaucratic corporate delay.
"By the time the bureaucrats clear our assault, Flint will have moved the beasts and pocketed millions in illegal chits."
Bekka grabbed her gym bag, standing up from the table with her eyes burning with fierce determination.
"If there are kidnapped laborers locked in those cages tonight, I’m going through the wall whether the paperwork is signed or not."
She gave Luna a warm hug at the front door, squeezing her best friend before turning toward the dimly lit hallway.
"One of these days, you’re introducing me to your mystery man," Bekka said with a wink as she stepped into the corridor.
"And tell your donation feet I said goodnight!"
The door closed with a firm click, followed by the sound of her swift footsteps fading down the stone stairwell.
Leo parted the pure curtain and stepped back into the amber lamplight, crossing his arms with an amused smirk.
"So your best friend is a licensed hero," he remarked, looking at the half-eaten pizza remaining on the counter.
Luna slid down the kitchen cabinet until she was sitting on the floorboards, burying her burning face in her hands.
"You heard everything, didn’t you?" she groaned from behind her fumbling fingers.
"Every single word," he answered, his gaze drifting toward the window as his tactical instincts took full control.
"Live alien beasts, black-market auction, and three hours of corporate paperwork before the heroes move in."
"The Pit is full of armed syndicate killers, and Bekka’s entire squad will be surrounding the perimeter!" Luna pleaded anxiously.
"Your friend said it herself," he replied with a confident grin, pulling his dark hood over his brow.
"The lawyers are giving Flint a three-hour head start, so somebody needs to get to the party early."