Chapter 25 · You remember the corridor

He stepped into my path. "You remember the corridor."

"I remember pieces."

"You remember the man."

"I remember his voice."

"You remember killing him."

My jaw locked.

The static crawled across the screen. The old Kael lowered her knife. The blade stopped inches from the prisoner's throat.

Then she looked straight at the camera.

Straight at me.

"If you're watching this," she said, "they've already taken your memories. Don't trust the man standing beside you. He was there when they—"

The feed broke apart.

My lungs forgot what they were doing.

Jaxon didn't move.

"When they what?" he asked.

I stared at him. "You tell me."

"I wasn't there."

"Your face is in my head."

"That doesn't make it true."

"You knew the footage existed."

His silence answered too slowly.

I stepped toward him.

He raised the pistol, but the barrel didn't touch me. It stopped between us, close enough that one twitch would end the argument.

"Back up," he said.

"You want me to?"

"Yes."

"Then lower the gun."

"You don't get to set terms."

"You don't get to point that at me and pretend we're partners.