The flight to Prague was booked under two false names.
Julian moved like someone who had done this before. Quiet airports. Alternate terminals. Sleeper bags, burner phones, and cash in three currencies. Ava had never traveled like this, but there was something strangely thrilling about it—like slipping through the cracks of the world.
They arrived just after midnight.
Prague was soaked in rain, the cobbled streets glistening beneath golden lamps. The city pulsed with mystery—ancient stone beside modern secrets.
Julian led her through winding alleys, not speaking much until they reached an old building nestled between an antique bookstore and a silent cathedral.
"This used to be one of Noura's fronts," he said. "She stashed forged pieces in the basement. I found out too late… and kept the access key."
They entered quietly.
The gallery had long since closed. The front room was empty, but the scent of paint and varnish lingered. Julian moved fast, guiding her down a narrow hallway to a storage lift. He pressed his palm against a recessed panel—one Ava hadn't even seen.
The door clicked open.
"Welcome," he whispered, "to the last secret I kept."
***
The vault was buried two floors underground. Cooled. Reinforced. Silent.
Julian used a code and a retinal scan.
When the heavy steel door hissed open, Ava stared in awe.
Inside, the room looked like it belonged to a museum: rows of unmarked crates, sealed frames, and hidden compartments. But at the back, behind an unassuming canvas, was a steel case with a single blinking light.
He opened it.
There it was.
The final drive.
Ava stepped forward slowly. "This has the original?"
"All of it. Including what she hid from *me*."
She touched it carefully, like it might bite. "So this… this could bring her down completely."
Julian didn't answer.
Because he wasn't looking at her anymore.
He was looking past her.
At the woman in the doorway.
Gun drawn.
Face unreadable.
"Noura," Julian said, voice ice.
She stepped inside, calm and poised. "You never could resist the dramatic reveal."
"How did you find us?" Ava asked, heart hammering.
Noura smiled. "Darling, I built this web. Every thread still hums with my name."
She raised the gun slightly. "Now hand me the drive."
Julian stepped between her and Ava, but Ava didn't flinch.
She reached slowly into her coat pocket.
And pulled out something small.
Noura's smile faltered. "What's that?"
"Insurance," Ava said softly.
A second USB. A decoy.
She dropped it to the floor and stepped on it with one quick snap.
Noura's hand twitched.
But Julian used that instant to act—lunging, knocking the gun upward just as it fired.
The shot rang through the vault, deafening.
Then silence.
Ava blinked.
Noura was on the ground—Julian's arm locked around her throat, disarmed, furious.
But alive.
Ava knelt down, picked up the *real* drive, still untouched in the case.
Julian looked up at her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded.
Then looked at Noura.
"She came here thinking we'd break. She underestimated us."
Julian met her gaze. "Then let's *end this*."
They tied Noura's hands with a zip-cord Julian pulled from his coat. She didn't fight. Just stared at Ava with a half-smile, like none of this surprised her.
"You think exposing me will make you clean?" she said softly. "You're both already dirty. You just haven't *looked* close enough."
Julian ignored her.
They left the vault quietly, vanishing into the Prague night with the real drive, leaving Noura behind—anonymous tip already sent to Interpol with her location.
No turning back now.
***
Back in a rented flat above the Vltava River, Julian sat beside Ava, the open laptop glowing between them.
They uploaded the contents of the final drive to Reed—every name, every account, every thread Noura had spun.
Once it was gone, Julian leaned back.
"It's out of our hands now."
Ava reached for him. "That's the point. We're finally *free*."
He looked at her.
And for once—he believed it.