Lynn didn't expect Michael to follow her. But he did.
She took corners fast, eyes set on one name: Zee.
When she pulled up outside a small warehouse on the city's edge, Michael's car stopped just behind hers.
> "Seriously?" she muttered, stepping out.
> "You said you had to clean up a mess," Michael said, slamming his door shut. "I'm here with a mop."
She almost laughed—but tonight wasn't for laughing.
> "This isn't your world, Michael. You walk into this, there's no turning back."
> "You think I came this far to turn around?" he shot back.
She studied him for a moment. His eyes weren't scared. They were locked in. Steady.
Lynn turned to the warehouse door. "Then keep up."
---
Inside, the building smelled like rust and broken trust. Lynn's boots echoed as they moved through the darkness, past crates and dust.
She stopped at the far corner. The old fuse box was still there. She flicked a hidden switch.
A panel shifted in the wall.
> "Secret entrances now?" Michael muttered. "What were you?"
> "Something I thought I'd buried."
The door slid open into a small backroom — dim light, one flickering fan, and a folding chair in the center.
Zee sat there.
Waiting.
Arms crossed.
Eyes cold.
> "You found me faster than I expected," she said.
> "You should've disappeared the moment you sold me out," Lynn replied.
Zee's lip twitched. "And miss the part where you beg me not to do it again?"
Michael stepped forward. "She's not begging. You should be."
Zee looked at him, then back at Lynn. "So this is your new knight? Cute. Too bad he doesn't know what you've done."
Lynn didn't flinch.
> "He knows enough."
Zee stood. "Then he'll understand what happens when you double-cross the only one who ever kept your secrets."
> "You mean the secrets you sold?" Lynn said. "For what? A payout? Revenge?"
Zee's face hardened. "Survival. You left me behind."
> "You chose to stay behind."
The air was thick with old betrayal. Michael could feel it.
> "You leaked that file," he said slowly. "What else did you give them?"
Zee hesitated. Just for a second.
It was enough.
> "She's working with Jayden," Lynn said.
Zee didn't deny it.
> "He said if I helped him… he'd let me disappear. I didn't think you'd survive the leak."
Lynn stepped forward, her voice like a blade.
> "You should've known better."