Lara had just taken down a man when gunfire cracked again.
She turned just as City C Don fired. Instinct kicked in—she raised her weapon—but she was a second too slow.
The man in black shoved her out of the line of fire. The shot slammed into the wall where she'd been standing a heartbeat earlier. He fired back instantly, forcing City C Don to retreat.
"Stay sharp," he said.
As Lara caught her balance, her eyes fell to his chest.
A pendant.
Small. Metal. A familiar inscription.
I've seen this somewhere before…
But there was no time to think.
City C Don charged again, fury driving him forward. Lara and the man in black split, flanking him with practiced precision.
"Lara—he's City C Don," the man in black said sharply as he moved. "One of the surviving subordinates from the kidnapping years ago. He's the one who killed Lisa. Remember?"
The words landed—
The name hit like a blow.
Memory snapped into place.
And Lara fired.
One clean shot.
City C Don went down.
Silence followed—broken only by heavy breathing and the slow settling of smoke.
Lara turned.
"Wait—"
The man in black was already retreating, slipping back into the shadows, gone as quickly as he'd appeared.
The other man—the one in blue—had escaped.
Dane was captured, restrained, and bleeding.
And the image of that pendant burned into Lara's mind.
"Most of them are dead. One was hit and escaped," Daisy said into the comm.
A beat.
"Let me call the team," Daisy added. "I'll inform them that Dane is captured and City C Don is dead."
She made the call, then returned to Lara.
"Who were those subordinates of Dane?" Lara asked quietly. "We can't close this case until every suspect is accounted for."
"And who were the ones who helped us?" Daisy said. "Because they weren't part of the plan."
The abandoned facility fell silent again—heavy, unresolved, and thick with questions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back at their respective stays.
Lara was in her room, already on a call.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Why?" came the reply, amused. "Do you miss me, honey?"
"Come to my room. Now," Lara said.
"Oh?" he chuckled. "You in the mood to do something nasty? Because I'm a decent guy."
"I don't like repeating myself," she snapped. "Get your ass here. Now."
She cut the call.
A knock sounded at her door.
"What's up?" Zain asked.
Lara grabbed him by the collar, yanked him inside, and locked the door behind them.
She went straight for the buttons of his shirt.
Zain caught her wrists. "Dear, I know you're desperate for my body, but can't we slow down?"
She ignored him and continued unbuttoning—until she saw it.
The pendant.
誇りを持って死ぬDie with pride.
Lara froze.
Then she looked straight into his eyes.
"So it was you," she said quietly. "Wasn't it?"
"What are you talking about?" Zain replied. "I don't understand."
"Stop acting dumb," she snapped. "You were the one who saved me. I saw that pendant at the abandoned military base. I'm damn sure it was you. So speak."
Zain exhaled slowly. "What do you want to know?"
"Why were you there?" Lara asked. "And I swear I've seen this pendant before. Where did you get it?"
He tilted his head slightly. "You know… in this world, nothing comes for free."
Her jaw tightened. "What do you want in return?"
A slow smile curved his lips.
"Maybe…" He paused, just long enough to test her patience. "A kiss for an answer."
He moved past her and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back against the pillows—like he already owned the space.
And her reaction.