Chapter 15 · Blood-Stained Elevator

"Get your head out of my way, Kael, or I’ll fry your synapses just to see which one sparks first," Nyx’s voice hissed directly into my auditory nerve.

I didn't have time to snap back. The elevator doors slammed shut with a metallic clang, sealing me in a four-by-four chrome box with a man who looked like he’d been forged in a tank factory. He was six-foot-five, wrapped in matte-black kinetic armor that pulsed with a dull, predatory red light. A corporate Enforcer. And he was currently staring at me like I was a bug he wanted to crush slowly.

"You're the glitch," the Enforcer grunted. His voice sounded like gravel in a blender. "The one the Board wants erased."

"I've been called worse," I said, my hand sliding toward the hilt of the blade at my hip. "Usually by people who are still breathing."

He didn't laugh. He didn't even blink. He just stepped forward, the floor of the elevator groaning under his weight. "You're fast, kid. But speed doesn't matter when you're trapped in a tin can."

*He’s reading your muscle tension,* Nyx warned, her presence suddenly cold and sharp against the back of my mind.