Chapter 6 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 6: Three-Second Edge

"Get your head down or lose it!" Seth’s voice barked right into my ear, his hand slamming into the small of my back, pinning me against the cold metal of the server rack just as a high-caliber round tore through the drywall where my skull had been a second ago.

Dust and plaster rained down on us. The hitman wasn't playing games; he’d come through the door like a wrecking ball and was now systematically clearing the room with a suppressed SMG.

"I can't see him!" I yelled, my voice shaking. "The smoke—I can't get a lock!"

"Then stop looking with your eyes, glitch," Seth snapped. He didn't move from his position, his large frame shielding me completely. I could feel the heat radiating off his chest, the steady, terrifyingly calm thrum of his heart against my shoulder. He was a wall of muscle and corporate chrome, and right now, he was the only thing keeping me from becoming a sieve.

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the plug-in to kick in. *Now. Give it to me now.*

Suddenly, the world stuttered. The noise dampened. A translucent, ghostly overlay bled into my vision—