Chapter 18 · Neon Pursuit

"Don't you dare glitch on me now!" Jax's fingers clamp around my wrist and drag me sideways as a pulse round punches straight through the concrete where my head was half a second ago.

Dust explodes in my mouth. My left leg just doesn't fire. Like the signal got lost.

"Move!" he shouts, yanking again. "Kaelen, MOVE!"

"I'm trying!" I snarl and slam my palm against the wall to stay upright. My vision stutters. One second the alley is neon pink and wet, the next it's all static and red error text. "My leg's not— it won't—"

"I know, I know, just lean on me!" His shoulder slams into mine. He's breathing hard, hot and fast against my cheek. His hand is sweating but his grip is iron. "Don't you check out on me, you hear me?"

Another pulse round screams past. It takes a chunk out of a dumpster and the metal screams.

"Contact! Alley three!" A voice, flat and modulated. Not human. Olympus Hunter. "Target is glitching. Converge."

Shit.

I force my leg to move. It jerks, then catches. Pain shoots up my spine, sharp and electric. Not real pain. Feedback from the mod.

"How many?" I gasp.