Chapter 26 · He's Not Just a Hostage

The screen flickers. Her brother's face comes up pale and too small in the chair's headrest. Wires run from his temples to a panel behind him, and his hands are strapped down at the wrists. He's not moving. Mara's throat closes.

Kade's timer sits at ninety minutes. The red numbers tick down in the corner of her vision, overlaid by her lens. She doesn't blink.

"Mara." Kade's voice comes low behind her. "They want me to see this."

"Shut up." She's already pulling up the kill-switch protocol her mom left buried in the Oryx network. The passcode Kade spoke three days ago. The one that shouldn't exist. Her fingers shake over the holo keys.

A second window opens next to her brother's feed. Silas Grave leans into frame, hands folded, that same smile he wore at the gala. "Miss Vey. I assume you've received our invitation."

"Let him go."

"We will. The moment Mr. Rourke's core syncs with our extraction cradle, your brother walks out. Clean trade."

Kade moves up beside her. His shoulder brushes hers. She feels the heat through two layers of jacket. "Where's the cradle?"

Grave's smile doesn't shift. "Sub-level four. Oryx Central.