Chapter 22 · I muttered

He smirked, a small, crooked thing that made my stomach do a weird little flip. "Hey, computers don't try to stab me in the neck. That's a huge plus in my book."

I rolled my eyes, but I didn't move away. The tension between us had shifted. It wasn't the jagged edge of a fight anymore; it was something heavier, thicker. Like the air right before a storm. I found myself staring at his mouth, then quickly looked away, feeling a flush creep up my neck.

"Fine," I muttered. "Build your dampener. But if I start seeing red again, you're the first one I'm throwing out the window."

"Deal," he said, his voice sounding far too pleased. "Now, sit your ass back in the chair. We're going back in, but this time, I'm keeping the safety protocols on high."

I sat. The chair felt like a trap, but it was the only way out. As Jax began to calibrate the neural link, the hum of the machines filling the room, I felt a strange sense of dread. The echoes weren't just glitches. They were warnings.

"Wait," I said, just as the needles touched my temples. "The voice...