Ava told herself not to snoop.
For a few hours, she actually listened. She paced around the apartment, re-folded Tess's clothes, even cleaned the tiny kitchen, hoping to keep her mind busy enough to forget what she saw.
But the image kept clawing back — Vera, sliding into the back seat of that luxurious Velar, laughing like she belonged there, like she'd always belonged there. And if that was the hair salon she claimed to work at, Ava was a unicorn.
She didn't want to betray her friend. Vera had saved them. Given them a place to breathe. But something didn't add up — and Ava had learned a long time ago that trusting blindly could get you hurt. Or worse.
So she waited until Tess had curled up on the mattress and drifted off into one of her deep, exhausted sleeps — the kind only a child could still manage. Then, slowly, Ava crept into Vera's side of the room.
The dresser wasn't locked. Just a regular pull-out drawer with a faulty runner that groaned when she opened it. Inside, folded neatly beneath a layer of silk scarves, were things that didn't belong.
Fake IDs. Four of them. All with Vera's face, but different names.
Luxury goods — a Cartier bracelet she'd never seen her wear, a leather wallet with no brand tag but unmistakably expensive. A burner phone. A thin stack of foreign bills.
Ava stared.
The more she dug, the more it made sense. The designer boots. The perfumes. The nights Vera came home flushed and too quiet.
And suddenly, Ava realized how little she really knew about the girl who used to share jelly sandwiches with her on the fire escape three years ago.
She closed the drawer and sat back, her heart thudding in her ears.
...
Ava hadn't stopped thinking about it all day.
The car. The man. Vera slipping into the back seat like she did it every day. And all the fake IDs and luxury she found.
She told herself she'd wait. Confront her calmly. Catch her in the lie and maybe — maybe — force her to explain.
But then Vera came home in a storm of urgency.
"We have to leave," she said. No hello. No explanation. Just those four words. "Right now. Ava, trust me."
Ava blinked. "What?"
"He was just here," Vera added, her voice tight. "We don't have time."
And she didn't explain what she meant — not yet.
Ava should've asked. Should've pushed harder.
But something in Vera's face — the wildness in her eyes, the strain in her voice — told her this wasn't just another game. It was serious. Real.
Even after everything, even with the drawer full of secrets Ava had just found, she still trusted her.
So she nodded, turned around, and went to wake Tess.
"Come on," she whispered, brushing hair from her little sister's forehead. "Get up, baby. We have to go."
Tess stirred sleepily. "Why? What's happening?"
Ava forced a smile. "I'll explain later. Just trust me, okay?"
Tess nodded, rubbing her eyes.
In less than ten minutes, they were outside again. A black SUV waited for them at the curb. Sleek body, a silent engine.
They climbed in without a word.
This time, Ava kept her eyes locked on Vera the entire ride.
The silence was thick, suffocating. Vera didn't speak. She just stared out the window, her hands gripping the strap of her bag like it was a lifeline.
The low hum of the engine and Tess's soft breathing between them was the only sound present.
When they arrived at the airport, Ava felt her heart drop.
It wasn't a terminal. Not even a hangar. It was private.
A plane waited for them at the end of the tarmac, sleek and silver under the dark sky. Two men stood at the base of the stairs, one holding a clipboard, the other scanning the area like a sentry.
Tess clutched Ava's hand tighter. "Ava… what's going on?"
Ava squeezed back. "I'm not sure."
Tess's eyes widened at the sight of the plane. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I don't want to go."
"What?"
"I don't want to go," she repeated. "Last time… when we got off the plane… Mom and Dad—"
Ava stopped in her tracks and knelt beside her, holding her face between both hands. "Hey. Look at me."
Tess's eyes were filled with tears.
"I know that was scary," Ava whispered. "But this isn't like last time. You have me now. And I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."
Tess nodded slowly, trembling.
"And you're the bravest girl I know. Okay?"
Another nod.
They boarded.
---
The interior was cleaner than any space Ava had ever been in. It smelled like leather and pine. Seats like marshmallows. Tables lined with sleek glass.
Tess refused to leave Ava's side until the plane lifted off. The moment it did, her grip tightened so much Ava's fingers went numb. But she didn't let go.
After a while — once the clouds were all they could see and the hum of the engine steadied — Tess's eyelids grew heavy.
She fell asleep curled up against Ava's side, arms around her waist.
Ava waited a few more minutes, then carefully shifted out from under her and walked to the other side of the cabin where Vera sat, alone.
"You gonna tell me now?" she asked quietly.
Vera didn't look up. "Tell you what?"
Ava folded her arms. "You've been lying to me."
No denial. No excuse.
Just silence.
"I saw you get in that car. I went through your drawer. You think I didn't notice the fake IDs? The designer shit you hide in scarves?"
Still no reply.
"You were going to leave without telling me, weren't you?"
Vera finally looked up. "Yes. But I figured they might use you as leverage against me."
"Who will?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
For a long time, Vera said nothing.
Then: "I'm a con girl okay. My operations have always been smooth but this man I conned in particular couldn't let go of the fact that I conned a few bucks from him. I didn't think it would get this bad. I thought I could protect you. But when he showed up again — the man I conned two years ago — I panicked. I called in a favor."
"What kind of favor?" Ava asked. Her voice was calm, but cold.
Vera's lips twitched. "The Institution. Or as we call it, the web."
Ava blinked. "What?"
"It's not just me out here playing tricks," she said. "There's a whole system. They find girls like me. Train us. Assign us targets. Give us fake paperwork, setups, escape routes. They take half of what we make, and in return, they make sure we're untouchable."
Ava's throat tightened.
"You've been working for them all this time?"
"Yes."
"And you didn't think I deserved to know?"
Vera met her eyes. "You were already in enough danger."
Ava gave a dry laugh. "You think picking pockets for Marcus wasn't dangerous?"
"That's not the same—"
"Isn't it?" Ava snapped. "You had a way out. A real one. And you didn't even offer it. Unbelievable."
Vera hesitated. "Because I knew you'd say yes."
Ava froze.
"I knew you'd want in," Vera said quietly. "And once you're in… there's no backing out."
A long silence passed between them.
Finally, Vera asked, "You're not scared?"
Ava looked her dead in the eyes.
"I'm just mad it took this long."