Chapter 24 · Last Lie

"Tell him I never touched the override." Silas pressed the muzzle under Eve's jaw. "Go on. Lie for me one last time."

Eve's hands were locked behind her back, a thin restraint biting into her wrists. Her knees touched the edge of the operating table, but she didn't sit. She kept her chin up while the red warning lights cut across her face.

Kai stood six feet away with blood running from his temple.

"Move the gun," he said.

Silas glanced at him. "You don't give orders here."

"No?" Kai wiped the blood with the back of his hand. "You dragged me into a sealed medical vault, chained her to a table, and started a citywide purge. Seems like you're the one getting nervous."

The gun dug harder into Eve's skin.

"Keep talking," Silas said. "Every word makes her heart rate climb."

Eve's breath caught. She hated that he noticed. She hated more that Kai noticed too.

His eyes dropped to the pulse jumping beneath her jaw, then snapped back to Silas. His shoulders tightened.

"You said the crash would wait another hour," Kai said.

"I said she had another hour if she stayed connected to the stabilizer.