The manor came into view just as the last ridge curved down and the gravel gave way to seamless stone. Soft sensor lights flicked on as the vehicle crossed into the estate perimeter, recognizing its passengers before the system even finished the scan.
Inside the car, silence had stretched too long.
Lucas hadn't said much since the last coded confession. Just a few monosyllables. Mostly grunts.
Ava broke it, because someone had to.
"You should talk to him."
Lucas didn't look up.
Ava sighed and tapped her bracer. "I mean now. While he's still in strategy-mode and before he turns into a smug crypt keeper who thinks coordinating a five-nation economic war from the bath is a good use of his retirement."
Lucas's mouth twitched. "That's… oddly specific."
"I've been taking notes."
He exhaled, leaning his head back. "What are you doing while I go get emotionally interrogated by a ghost?"
"Fixing the bikes," Ava said. "Upgrading, actually."
