Cheap Motel – City Outskirts

The door slammed open, shaking on its hinges as the task force stormed in, weapons raised.

The man in the room stumbled back, hands flying up. “Jesus! I didn’t—”

“Shut it.” Ghost grabbed him, shoving him toward the wall. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”

But she… she didn’t move.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the sheet loosely wrapped around her, she didn’t scream or scramble to cover herself. She just exhaled slowly, looking up at them with a tired, detached expression.

“Really?” she muttered. “Took you guys long enough.”

Soap narrowed his eyes. “Hands where we can see them.”

She raised them, lazy and unbothered. “Like I’ve got a choice.”

Gaz scoffed. “What, you want us to apologize for interrupting?”

Her lips twitched in something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Would be nice.”

Soap pulled out zip ties, his jaw tight. “You’re under arrest.”

“For what?” she asked, tilting her head. “Indecency? Or just existing?”

Ghost’s voice was sharp. “Prostitution.”

Something flickered in her eyes, but she didn’t deny it. Just huffed a quiet laugh, shaking her head. “Figures.”

Price had been silent, watching. Taking in the bruises that didn’t look fresh. The exhaustion behind her defiance. The way she didn’t seem surprised—almost like she’d been waiting for this.

His voice cut through the tension. “How long?”

She met his gaze. Didn’t ask what he meant. Just answered.

“Long enough.”

Soap scoffed. “Selling yourself for what? A habit? A pimp?”

Her jaw clenched. And then—so quiet they almost missed it—

“For my sibling.”

The air in the room changed.

Gaz muttered a curse under his breath. Soap’s grip on the zip ties faltered. Ghost exhaled slowly, running a hand down his mask.

Price’s expression didn’t change, but his voice softened just slightly. “You got a name?”

A long pause. Then, for the first time, her mask cracked—just a little.

“…Yeah.”