Chapter 34 · Ghost In The Wall

The blast door slammed behind me, and Jaxon’s lock sealed with a hard metallic clunk.

I spun and drove my fist into the panel. The impact shot pain up my arm.

"Open it."

Jaxon stood three steps away, one hand resting on the access key at his belt. His coat was torn at the shoulder. A thin line of blood ran from his temple to his jaw, but his gun was steady.

"No."

I hit the panel again. "You dragged me into a corpse vault and locked me inside?"

"You were about to run."

"That was the idea."

His eyes dropped to my hand. The skin across my knuckles had split. "You run, the purge squad finds you in under four minutes. They won't ask questions this time."

"And staying with you gets me what? A slower execution?"

"A chance."

I laughed once. It came out sharp and ugly. "You already used your chance. You sold me the second you sealed that door."

The room answered with a low mechanical hum. White strips flickered along the walls. Under the cracked floor plates, old power lines woke one by one.

Jaxon stepped closer.

I raised my arm between us. "Don't.