Chapter 14 · Moonclaim - Chapter 14: Blood in Cold Storage

The message stayed on the screen. White letters. No signature.

Ivy's gun was still up. Her finger was off the trigger but her hand wasn't steady. Leon hadn't moved since the text appeared. His eyes were on the screen. His shoulders were locked.

"Someone's watching," she said.

"Yeah." His voice came out rough. "Been watching the whole time."

She wanted to lower the gun. Her wrist ached. But the shape of her father's face was still burned into her retinas and the sound of his voice was still in her ears and Leon had just admitted he was there that night.

Ten years ago. Sixteen years old. Locked in a cellar.

She didn't know what she believed.

"They want you downstairs," she said.

Leon turned his head. Slow. His pupils were doing that thing again. Wider than they should be. The amber around the edges was starting to bleed outward.

"It's a trap," he said.

"Obviously."

"And you're thinking about going."

She was. She hated that she was. But whoever had hijacked the system twice in one night knew more than she did. And she'd spent three years chasing scraps.