Chapter 10 · Ghosts of the Neon Gutters

"Stop moving or I’ll carve that plugin out of your skull myself," Lilith hissed, her boot pressing hard into the small of my back.

I groaned, my face smashed against the damp concrete of the alley. The smell of ozone and rotting synth-fish filled my nose. My wrists were zip-tied tight, cutting into the skin. I could feel the Reaper Plugin humming under my skin, a cold, electric itch that told me exactly how close I was to dying.

"You’re not going to do that," I spat, twisting my head to look at her. "You need me to crack the vault. You can't even open the door without my ghost-key."

Lilith leaned down, her leather jacket creaking. She grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head back. Her eyes were like shards of frozen mercury, beautiful and utterly lethal. I could feel her breath on my cheek—warm, smelling of mint and something metallic.

"I can find another ghost, Kai," she whispered, her voice a low purr that didn't match the violence in her grip. "But I can't find another one who’s already dead in the system. You're a glitch. A convenient, disposable glitch.