The air was still thick with gunpowder—one round already done. Lara peeked over the bumper, eyes scanning the men regrouping near the black sedans.
"Three left," she muttered.
Zain stepped up beside her, brushing dust off his shirt. "Two and a half," he corrected, nodding at one guy limping away.
She shot him a look. "You counting him out because he's hurt, or because you're lazy?"
Zain grinned. "Bit of both."
Before she could retort, one of the men charged. Lara moved first—sharp and precise—but Zain slid in, caught the man's wrist mid-swing, twisted it, and used his momentum to slam him onto the car hood. Clean. Effortless.
Lara blinked, slightly taken aback. "Not bad."
He flashed her a teasing smile. "Try to keep up, sweetheart."
She scoffed. "Don't call me that."
But her lips curved just a little.
Two more men flanked them. Lara ducked, kicked one man's leg out from under him, then disarmed the other with a quick elbow strike. Zain moved in sync with her, like he'd read her timing, grabbed a loose gun, and fired a warning shot that sent the rest scrambling.
"Guess we make a pretty good team," he said, stepping closer, his voice low.
"Guess you finally decided to be useful," she replied, catching her breath.
Zain leaned in a little, that familiar smirk tugging at his mouth. "Oh, I'm useful in plenty of ways. You just haven't—"
"Don't finish that," she cut in, though her tone had softened.
They stood there for a moment, close, tension humming between them, before a faint engine roar snapped her attention away.
She spun around. The black car—Dane's car, the one that started it all—was gone.
Lara's stomach dropped. "No."
Zain followed her gaze, hands slipping back into his pockets, calm as ever. "You were too busy being impressed," he said lightly.
Her glare snapped back to him. "I wasn't—"
He smirked. "Sure you weren't."
Lara exhaled sharply, turning back toward the empty road. "He won't get far."
Zain's grin lingered. "You say that like you don't secretly love the chase."
She didn't answer. Just started walking toward their car. Zain followed, still smiling.
"Fine, fine. I'll drive. But next time," he tossed her a look, "try not to get distracted by my charm."
Lara opened the door, half-smiling despite herself. "If I ever do, you'll be the first to know."