Chapter 32 · Ten-Minute Final Sale

Seven minutes left on Vex's timer and Ivy's already got her knife out.

She's standing in the middle of the food court, right where the old floor lines cross. Blood from Mallow's drag trail is still wet on the tile. The PA system crackles every thirty seconds, just to remind us Vex is still on the line. Ivy doesn't look at me. Doesn't look at the cameras I'm tracking her through. She's looking at her left hand, palm up, where the debt mark sits like a brand.

"Don't," I say through the nearest speaker.

She doesn't answer. Just rolls her shoulder back and adjusts her grip on the knife.

I push every camera angle I've got. "Ivy. We can figure something else out."

"No we can't." Her voice is flat. Tired. "You heard her. Ten minutes or this whole section goes up. I'm not fast enough to get everyone out and you can't move walls that quick."

"That's not—"

"And if you open the lock, she owns the whole grid. Moonrail, the Undercity, all of it." Ivy finally looks up. Her eyes find the camera.