Decoys.
The real cargo wasn't here.
Ava stood amid the smoke, her phone still clutched in her hand. Her chest rose and fell in sharp, short breaths as her
Her fingers curled around the phone again.
Whoever this was, they weren't just a step ahead.
They were watching everything.
She turned as Alex approached, cuts along his arms, soot across his jaw.
"They were decoys," she said. Her voice was hollow, disbelieving.
"All of it."
Alex cursed under his breath. "She wanted us here. Away from something else."
They both turned to look out into the darkness. Somewhere beyond that horizon, Isabella was already ten steps ahead.
Ava spoke quietly, but each word landed like a stone. "What's Isabella really planning?"
Morning light streamed through the curtains, filling Ava's room with a warm glow that highlighted her sheets. She slowly woke up, wrapped in the peaceful silence of her bedroom, still feeling the warmth of Alex's touch on her skin.
