Nick stood alone in the dim corridor of the rundown apartment after Arora and Miso hurried down the stairs. The echoes of their footsteps were still fading when he finally turned toward the one person who hadn't moved at all.
Jack.
Jack stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes lowered, not nervous but almost… bored. As if the heavy atmosphere meant nothing to him.
Nick walked up to him — not too close, but close enough to test him.
"What was that?" Nick asked, staring sharply.
Jack lifted his head slowly, eyes calm. "What?"
Nick clenched his jaw. "Don't act innocent. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Jack gave a small shrug, casual and airy. "I told you. I'm just good at self-defense."
Nick laughed once — a short, humorless sound.
"Oh, self-defense? Right. That's self-defense? Breaking someone's jaw like that? Moving like you've done it a hundred times?"
Jack tilted his head slightly, his gaze unreadable.
