Chrome Hearts on Borrowed Time

Kade Rourke wakes beneath Mara Vey’s surgical knife with a military core counting down inside his heart—and her dead mother’s secret code on his lips. Before Mara can sell him for enough money to free her brother, Oryx Dominion seals the entire district and puts a bounty on them both. Kade is an amnesiac weapon who could kill her with one hand, yet he keeps taking bullets meant for her. Forced to pose as lovers at a glittering upper-city gala, Mara must crack the core’s countdown while resisting the man who was supposed to be her most dangerous patient. But every clue points back to her mother’s death—and to Kade’s missing memories. When the timer reaches zero, Mara must choose: hand over Kade’s heart and save her brother, or let it explode and expose the lie that controls the entire city.