The bathroom was silent except for the faint hum of the ventilation fan. The air felt charged, heavy with suspicion. Lydia and Dominique stood across from each other, eyes locked, neither willing to flinch first.
Every subtle shift in posture, every shallow breath, was weighed and measured like moves on a chessboard.
Dominique flicked her sleeve then clasped her hands gracefully in front of her stomach, a smooth move of a predator putting away its claws only because it didn't feel threatened. Her chin lifted, her voice cold and precise.
"Who are you?"
Lydia's throat tightened. Words refused to come, her mind a blur of fear and calculation. She clamped her mouth shut, heart hammering.
Then, faint in her ear, Jay's voice came through the comm.
"It's okay. Give your name."
