Lucas didn't say a word until the footsteps had faded.
Then he turned to Ava, nodded once toward the west wing, and walked. Not fast. Not tense. Just quiet and deliberate, his steps echoing in the dim corridor light.
She followed without asking.
They entered their room—door sliding closed behind them with a soft hiss. It was quieter here. Insulated.
Lucas shrugged off his gloves and set them on the table by the window. His eyes weren't on her. Not yet.
Ava crossed to the bed, sat on the edge, and watched him. "So why let him in now?"
Lucas looked at her.
"Because if he went to that much trouble to walk back into my life, something bigger is chasing him. And if that thing has my name in its teeth, I want Kai where I can see him when it snaps."
He didn't wait for her to respond. Instead, he stepped closer and reached for the edge of her outer layer—her jacket, her hoodie and then tugging her into bed.
