Chapter 22 · Double Down

Sloane's room smelled like expensive soap and blood.

I didn't knock. The lock was trash and Nox had already slid the bolt for me before I'd even finished climbing the hall. Sloane sat on the edge of her cot, wrists wrapped, face still perfect even with the split lip from yesterday's exhibition match.

She looked up. Didn't even flinch.

"You're getting sloppy," she said.

"Give me the key."

Her smile came back, slow and sharp. "Which one?"

"The one that gets into the medical archive. Kade says the bond records are locked behind corp clearance and you're the only fighter with family access." I stepped closer. "So quit playing and hand it over."

Sloane leaned back on her palms. Her blade familiar, all silver edges and cold light, flickered into shape beside her shoulder. A warning.

"And what exactly do you think you'll find in there?"

"Proof," I said. "That they're not just taking familiars. They're taking people."

She went still.

Good.

"Kade told you that?"

"Kade told me your brother's name is on a harvest list. Same list my mom's name used to be on." I pulled the folded printout from my jacket and tossed it on her cot.