Chapter 26 · Blackout Ledger - Chapter 26: The Name They Buried

"Don't touch that file."

Kael's hand closed over my wrist before I could swipe the screen. His grip was warm, deliberate, and way too close to the pulse hammering under my skin.

"Why not?" I twisted my arm, but he didn't let go. "Because it's got my name on it? Or because it's got yours?"

"Both."

The screen between us flickered, lines of encrypted text scrolling past. The header read VOSS, R. - FINAL AUTHORIZATION SEQUENCE. My signature. My authorization. Four years ago, apparently, I'd greenlit something big enough to bury.

"Let go," I said.

"Read the file, and you'll wish I hadn't."

"Try me."

His jaw tightened. For a second I thought he'd shove me back, or yank the screen out of my hand, but he just stared at me like he was weighing how much damage the truth would do.

"You really don't remember," he said quietly.

"I remember waking up in a clinic with a new face and a brother who needed me alive." I pulled harder. "I remember running debt for two years because someone decided I wasn't worth keeping around. So yeah, Kael. I don't remember. That's the whole problem.