Chapter 6 · Rust Market Shakedown

"Keep moving, or I leave you here." Valerie shoved Jesse through the busted service door just as a round punched through the metal beside his head.

Jesse hit the floor on one knee. His bad side screamed. The Wraith Deck crawled under his skin, hot and hungry, chewing through the last scraps of strength he had left.

"You shove me again," he rasped, "and I make you carry me."

"Try it."

She caught his coat and hauled him upright. Her palm pressed against his ribs for half a second. Warm. Steady. Too close. Jesse felt her breath brush his cheek when she leaned around him and fired twice into the tunnel.

A guard shouted, "They went inside! Seal the shop!"

The door slammed behind them.

A metal bar dropped into place on the other side. Then another. Boots hammered across the street, circling the building.

Jesse looked past Valerie. The shop was narrow, filthy, and packed with rusted card cases. A dead neon sign buzzed over the counter.