Chapter 25 · Blackout Ledger - Chapter 25: Before She Wakes

"Give me the port."

Kael didn't move. His back was against the wall, his coat torn at the shoulder, blood crusted along his jaw. The door behind us was sealed. The air tasted like burnt plastic and old fear.

"I said give me the port." I kept the blade steady, angled up under his chin. Close enough that I could feel his pulse through the hilt. "The unlock port. The one you used to jack into the Ledger."

"You think that'll work?" His voice was low, scraped raw. "You think you can crack it alone?"

"I think you're the guy who came to drag me in." I pressed the edge a fraction higher. A bead of red welled up against the metal. "I think you knew my name before I did. And I think if I let you touch that screen, you'll lock me out or fry the chip or put a kill switch in my head."

He didn't flinch. Just looked at me, eyes flat and tired. "If I wanted you dead, Raina, you'd be cold three floors up."

"Yeah? Then why are we here?" I leaned in. The distance between us was nothing now.