She smiled faintly, eyes glinting with something lighter. “Besides, if I don’t work for you, I don’t have to take orders from you anymore.”
Victoria’s laugh was quiet but warm, the sound rolling through the space like something familiar. “You never took orders from me anyway.”
Isabel grinned. “Exactly. Now it’s official.”
They shared a small smile—soft, knowing, full of something that finally felt like peace.
The world outside was quiet, the night air thick with salt and possibility. For once, Isabel didn’t feel as if she was running away from something. She was runningtowardit.
Victoria’s smile lingered for a moment, but then her expression shifted—just slightly. Something uncertain flickered behind her eyes.
“So,” she said carefully, “if you’re not taking the job back…does that mean you’re leaving?”
The question landed softly, but it carried weight.
Isabel hesitated, running her thumb along the edge of the takeout container. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It crossed my mind. I mean, what’s keeping me here now? The job was the reason I came.”
Victoria’s jaw tensed. She looked down at her hands, then back up again. “You could build something else here. Something that’s just yours.”
Isabel gave a small, sad smile. “You make it sound simple.”
“It’s not simple,” Victoria said, shaking her head. “But it’s possible.”
Isabel studied her for a long moment. “Are you asking me to stay for the city…or for you?”
Victoria’s gaze held hers, steady and unflinching. “Both.”
The honesty in that one word made Isabel’s breath catch.
Victoria leaned forward slightly, her voice soft but unwavering. “Look, I’m not asking you to forget everything that happened. I know I hurt you. And I know you deserve better than half-measures. But I don’t want to go back to the way things were. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering what could’ve happened if I’d just been brave enough to try.”
“Vic…” Isabel whispered, her throat tight.
“Stay,” Victoria said, and there was no command in her tone this time—only a plea. “Give this place a shot. Giveusa shot.”
Isabel’s chest ached. She looked down, staring at her hands, tracing the line of a scar across her knuckle—a remnant from years on the force. Her life had always been movement, escape, starting over. But something about Victoria’s voice made her want to stop running.
She looked up again, meeting Victoria’s eyes. They were steady and vulnerable all at once, like someone standing on the edge of something terrifying and beautiful.
“I don’t know what this looks like yet,” Isabel said quietly. “Or what I look like outside of the badge.”
Victoria gave a small nod. “Then figure it out here. With me.”
For a long moment, neither spoke. The city lights outside blinked faintly through the window, the ocean’s hum somewhere in the distance.
Finally, Isabel exhaled and gave a small, almost disbelieving smile. “You really don’t give up easily, do you?”
“Not on the things that matter.”
That drew another soft laugh from Isabel, barely above a breath. “You’re impossible.”
Victoria’s lips curved. “And yet, here you are.”
The air between them warmed, quiet but alive. Isabel reached out, brushing her fingertips against Victoria’s wrist.
“All right,” she said softly. “I’ll stay for now. At least until I run out of money or I find a new job.”
Victoria’s eyes softened, relief flickering across her face. “For now’s a start.”
