Chapter 12 · Iron Arena - Chapter 12: Black-Market Contract

The file sits between them on Ivy's desk like a grenade with the pin already pulled.

Cole won't look at it. Won't touch it. He's got his arms crossed tight, leaning against the clinic wall like he's trying to hold himself together through sheer stubbornness. His jaw's locked so hard Lila can see the muscle jumping.

Ivy's eyes flick between them. She's got that careful, measured look people get when they're about to say something that's going to hurt. "The sync event you two had in the arena—Cole, it's on record now. Partial record, anyway. Enough that people are going to notice."

"Who's 'people'?" Lila asks.

"Anyone with access to underground arena feeds. Which means everyone who matters in this business." Ivy taps the file. "Your neural sync spiked to sixty-eight percent during that fight. Together. Cole's rate hasn't broken forty in three years, and you—" She stops. Looks at Lila. "You shouldn't be able to sync at all without months of training. But you hit thirty-four on your first try."

Thirty-four. The number sits in Lila's chest like a fist. She knew it felt different.