Lucas twirled one of the glowing energy cores between his fingers, gaze thoughtful.
Ava watched him carefully. "What?"
Lucas grinned. "We're moving."
Ava blinked. "Excuse me?"
Lucas pushed off the wall, already heading for the door. "Come on, Beauty. Time for an upgrade."
Ava exhaled sharply, following. "Bai, I swear to—"
Lucas glanced over his shoulder, smirk widening. "What's wrong? You don't trust my hospitality?"
Ava gritted her teeth. "I don't trust anything about you."
Lucas laughed. "That's the spirit."
He led her through the dim alleyways, weaving through the city's underbelly with the kind of ease that made Ava wonder just how many places he had stashed away.
Then—he stopped.
Ava tilted her head. "This is it?"
Before them, another motel—sleek, discreet, the opposite of the first motel. No flashing neon, no seedy entrance. Just a single, well-secured door.
Lucas grinned. "Welcome to my real office."
Ava folded her arms. "Why do you own so many motels?"
