Chapter 49 · The ladder!

He stared at her mouth again. This time, he didn't hide it.

The boy called from ahead. "The ladder!"

Cain stepped back. The heat between them vanished too fast.

"Saved by the kid," Lila muttered.

"You're welcome," the boy said weakly.

She almost laughed. Almost.

They climbed down three levels and reached a service platform beneath the facility. A round hatch opened into a crowded underground chamber lit by stolen power cells.

People shouted from every direction.

Weapons changed hands. Coins clicked. Traders argued over batteries, ammunition, med patches, water filters, and pieces of old-world tech. Nobody looked surprised by blood. They only looked annoyed when it got on merchandise.

Lila pulled the boy into the crowd. "Shadow Market. You never mentioned this place."

Cain scanned the chamber. "You never asked."

"I asked where we could find weapons."

"I said I knew a place."

"That's not an answer. That's a threat with directions."

A woman behind a counter lifted a pistol. "No fighting near my stock."

Lila pointed at Cain. "Tell him."

The woman looked Cain up and down. "He doesn't look like the listening type."

"He isn't."

Cain leaned toward Lila.