Chapter 38 · Gun To His Throat

"Move one more inch and I put this through your throat."

Jaxon froze with one hand on the console and the other halfway toward the weapon at his hip. My pistol pressed under his jaw. His pulse jumped against the barrel.

Good. Let him feel it.

The old server room gave a sharp electronic chirp. The log on the central screen kept scrolling, lines of red code dragging themselves across the glass. Jaxon's face stayed calm, but his eyes had already betrayed him.

He knew the file.

"You really want to do this with a loaded weapon pointed at my head?" he asked.

"Your head is up here." I pushed the barrel higher. "Your throat is down here. Try to keep up."

His mouth tightened. "You're shaking."

"I'm deciding which part of you to break first."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only warning you're getting."

The Glitch interface burned behind my eyes. A thin red line pulsed across my vision.

TARGET: JAXON VALE. RISK: MEMORY COLLAPSE. RECOMMENDATION: DO NOT FIRE.

I hated that last line.

Jaxon noticed the tiny pause. Of course he did.