When the door shut behind their guide and they were finally alone, each of them let out a slow breath—like they’d all been holding it since the ride. Keith was the first to shake his head subtly, signaling them to keep up the act. Who knew if there were cameras or mics hidden around here? The entrance had a full surveillance setup, after all. They’d come too far to blow it now with a chuckle or a slip into friendly chatter.

So they fell into their old Bureau-trained performance, reenacting the "get-to-know-you" dinner scene. Everyone shared a made-up reason for joining Busterrix’s crew, half-lies and vague stories, just enough to seem natural without sounding suspicious.

After an hour, they were full and finally relaxing a little. The first phase of the plan had gone… surprisingly well—aside from a few minor slipups.

“I’ve been wondering something,” Keith said, choosing a safe topic. He turned toward Kelly, casually pointing a fork—chicken chunk and all—in her direction. “How do you know Urs?”

Kelly wrinkled her nose instinctively, which didn’t go unnoticed by the boys.

“Ooh, old flame?” Ben teased, wiggling his eyebrows dramatically.

She shot him a murderous look. He raised a plate like a shield.

“Let’s just say… ex-business partner,” she answered vaguely, hoping that would satisfy them. It didn’t.

“But why didn’t you recognize him during the file re—”

Jax’s sentence was cut off by a piece of chicken hitting him in the face. Montgomery gave him a look. Carter had been about to say “during the file review,” but their unofficial leader had jumped in just in time.

“So Urs has a thief’s past too,” Sinclair said quickly to cover, while Carter tossed the chicken leg back to Keith with a scowl.

“We worked a few jobs together back before I moved to the City. That’s all,” Kelly said dismissively.

“Didn’t end too well, though, I take it,” Keith observed, watching as she glanced toward the dark window. “You don’t exactly light up when you see him.”

Before she had to answer, the wolf they’d been talking about strolled in. Urs peeked into the dining room just as the clock struck ten. No one had even realized how much time had passed.

“Everyone fed and happy? I hope so! Grab your stuff—it’s late, and you need to be sharp tomorrow!” he announced, already turning to head back into the hallway.

“Got anything special planned?” Keith asked innocently, falling into step beside him.

“Nah, nothing crazy,” Urs replied. “I’ll introduce you to Grom and the Mantis—yeah, they’re not here today—and hopefully Ace too.”

He cast a look at Montgomery walking nearby. “Sweet holy hell, man, ease up on the yeast rolls—you’re not gonna fit through the doors soon,” he whistled, tilting his head back just to meet the guy’s eyes.

“I’d pay to see you fight Grom. That would be a show,” he snickered to himself, picking up the pace.

They stopped on the first floor, where rows of recruit rooms lined both sides of the corridor. Urs pointed to two doors on the left and two on the right.

“Not every room’s usable, so I prepped these four for the guys. And Kelly…” he turned to her, eyes sparkling with the mischief of a kid on Christmas morning. “Knowing how much you adore crowds, I saved a solo room for you at the end of the hall. Sound good?”

“Sure,” she replied coolly, pretending not to notice Ben’s knowing smirk.

“Unpack, shower—each room’s got its own mini bathroom! And if you see a cockroach, yell.”

The boys offered vague goodnights and disappeared into their rooms after Urs handed out the keys.

Kelly stopped in front of her door, glancing down the corridor. Urs was still at the stairs, leaning against the railing, smiling softly. He raised his brows at her. She rolled her eyes then gave a reluctant nod. He approached quickly, hands clasped behind his back. He stopped just short, leaving half a meter of space between them, clearly waiting for her to say something—knowing full well how bad she was at starting things.

“Look, about what happened back then…” she began awkwardly.

But he cut her off immediately, as if he didn’t want her continuing the thought.

“Shhh—shh shh,” he whispered, putting a finger to his lips. He glanced sideways at her, blowing a pale strand of hair from his nose.

“The second I saw you, I could see it in your eyes—panic, nostalgia, and that big ol’ cloud of awkward,” he said softly. “At first, I thought this’d be tense. But... What’s past is past.” He raised his arms slightly, like declaring peace.

“I’m letting it go. That night, that lovely little holiday gift you two left me—it’s history. We were kids. Dumbass kids. I’m not mad at you. Or Estheim.”

She flinched at the name. She hadn’t expected him to say it out loud. To forgive it so easily.

Almost as if reading her mind, Urs chuckled and stepped a little closer. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and held her gaze—those sea-colored eyes of hers meeting his soft milk-chocolate stare.

“I can let go of the past. You should too. I know you’d fix some of those mistakes if you could, but you can’t. And maybe… maybe I should thank you. If not for you two, I wouldn’t have met Ace. Or found a crew this solid.”

He paused, then smiled wide.

“So let’s forget the old shit and focus on now, yeah?”

Something about the honesty in his voice—his eyes still exactly the same despite all the changes—made her lip twitch unwillingly. He held out his hand.

“After all… we’re a team again. Just like the good old days, right, Shira?”

She exhaled and, trying not to make it obvious how much she hated it, shook his hand.

“Yeah. Just like old times,” she said, forcing a smile.

Urs lit up, laughing with visible relief as he pumped her hand a few times. He gave a cheerful farewell, pointed out where his room was, and told her to knock anytime—even at midnight. She thanked him then closed the door behind her.

Her expression dropped. She exhaled through her nose, brow furrowing. Running into an old partner could go two ways. With Urs, it was like playing with a snake. Charm it—and maybe you tame it. But piss it off—and it’d sink its fangs into your throat. She had to play this smart—win without losing. Urs could be her biggest help... or the reason she failed.

This mission had to succeed. For Estheim.

And someone like Deymour had no right to say his name.