Alex and Ava stood face to face, both holding their weapons high. Their backs pressed against the walls of the narrow corridor, eyes locked on the other, each one weighing their next move.
It was as if they were searching for a hint of the people they used to be, trying to see past the betrayals and lies they’ve been covering up for months now.
Alex exhaled sharply, a faint chuckle breaking the tension. “So… do I call you Dr. Ava Reed tonight, or La Rosa’s Godmother?”
Ava’s face remained still, unreadable, but her voice was like a scalpel in silk. “Only if I can call you Detective Ramos. Or should I say… Moretti’s Ghost? X?”
The air around them felt heavy with the weight of those names… lives they had kept secret, lives they had lived side by side… without the other realising it. Or maybe pretending not to see.
A beat.
Then, slowly… carefully, they both lowered their weapons.
“I’m here for Pearl,” Alex said in a quieter voice now. “I know you are, too.”
“Of course I am,” Ava replied
