Suddenly Her hands were shaking again.
She thought about the little girl under the bed. The mother's desperate eyes. The promise she made to Maya.
Tomorrow. I'll come back tomorrow.
Luna checked her phone. 2:47 AM.
She should go home. Sleep. Report to Victor in the morning.
Instead, she turned toward Maya's house.
She needed to talk. Needed to hear whatever truth Maya was holding. Needed something to make sense of the chaos in her head.
Luna parked her bike and walked to Maya's door. Knocked quietly.
No answer.
She knocked again. "Maya? It's me."
Nothing.
Luna tried the handle. Locked.
A cold feeling settled in her chest. Maya always waited up when Luna had a job. Always.
Luna pulled out her lockpick. Opened the door in seconds.
"Maya?"
The house was dark. Silent.
Too silent.
Luna moved through the rooms. Kitchen. Empty. Living room. Empty. She climbed the stairs.
"Maya?"
She pushed open the bedroom door.
The bed was made. Untouched.
Luna's phone buzzed.
Victor.
She answered. "Job's done. Delgado is—"
"Come to the compound," Victor interrupted. His voice was strange. Flat. "Now."
"I was just—"
"Now, Luna."
The line went dead.
Luna stood in Maya's empty bedroom. Her heart was pounding. Something was very wrong.
She ran down the stairs. Out the door. Threw herself onto her motorcycle.
The ride to Victor's compound took twelve minutes. Luna's mind raced the entire way.
Where is Maya? Why wasn't she home? Why does Victor sound like that?
She pulled up to the compound gates. They opened immediately. She parked and walked inside.
Victor was waiting in his office. His face was grim.
"Sit down," he said.
Luna sat. "What's going on? Where's—"
"There's been an incident."
Luna's blood turned to ice. "What kind of incident?"
Victor poured himself a drink. Downed it. Poured another. "Maya is dead."
The words hit Luna like a physical blow. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. "What?"
"She was killed tonight. Car accident. She was driving back from the market. A truck ran a red light. Hit her head-on. She died on impact."
"No." Luna stood up. Her legs were shaking. "No, that's not possible. I just saw her. She was fine. She was going to tell me something. She—"
"I'm sorry, Luna." Victor's voice was careful. Controlled. "I know how much she meant to you."
Luna felt her world tilting. Maya. Dead. The only person who cared about her. The only safe place she had.
Gone.
"Where is she?" Luna whispered.
"The morgue. I've already made arrangements for the body."
Luna couldn't hear anything over the roaring in her ears. Maya had been going to the market. To buy food. To cook for Luna tomorrow.
Because Luna had promised to come back.
And now she was dead.
"She wanted to tell me something," Luna said. Her voice sounded far away. Hollow. "She said it was important. She said—"
Her voice broke. She buried her face in her hands.
Victor walked around the desk. Put his hand on her shoulder. "Take a few days. Grieve. When you're ready, we'll talk about your next assignment."
Luna couldn't speak. Couldn't move.
All she could think about was Maya's face. The fear in her eyes. The desperation.
"Promise me you'll come back tomorrow."
But tomorrow will never come.