Chapter 20 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 20: Neon Dead End

"Move your ass, Kaelen! Now!"

Seth’s hand clamped onto my upper arm, his grip tight enough to leave a bruise. He didn't just pull me; he practically launched me across the rain-slicked alleyway as a red scanner beam sliced through the air exactly where my head had been a second ago.

"I can find a hole! Just give me ten seconds!" I yelled back, my voice cracking. I tried to shake him off, but he slammed me against a rusted metal shutter. The impact knocked the wind out of me, and for a heartbeat, I was staring straight into his eyes—dark, focused, and absolutely lethal.

"There are no holes left," he hissed, his chest pressing against mine. I could feel the heat radiating off him, the smell of ozone and expensive corporate soap mixing with the metallic tang of the rain. "Vera didn't just lock the sector. She burned the map. Every safe zone we had is a death trap now."

I struggled, my palms flat against his tactical vest. "You're lying. The Old Quarter has a blind spot at the 4th junction. My mentor said—"

"Your mentor is the one who sold you out," Seth snapped.