Ava closed the display, her system sealing the data away. Locke.
The name flashed in her mind like a warning light. She had expected Angel to come after her. Expected retaliation. But this?
Locke wasn't supposed to be part of the game.
Lucas stretched lazily beside her, his smirk never fading. "Beauty, you really do attract the most interesting problems."
Ava shot him a glare. "Shut up and focus."
Lucas chuckled. "Oh, I am. You just don't like that I'm enjoying this."
Ava exhaled sharply. "Locke's military. Disciplined. Cold. He's not the type to leave cryptic messages. If he's reaching out like this, it means he either wants something—"
"Or he's setting a trap," Lucas finished smoothly.
Ava didn't disagree.
Her system pulsed again, pulling up the last trace of the data chip's signal. It had bounced through Angel's network, but the original transmission?
It came from outside Level One.
Ava frowned. "He's not in the city."
Lucas raised a brow. "Interesting."
