Chapter 12 · The Man Outside the Loop

"Mark, don't."

Lyla's voice hit me before I saw her. She was on her knees in the center of the server room, zip-tied to a pipe, blood running from her temple. Kyle stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder, the other on a red lever mounted to the wall.

"Three seconds," Kyle said. "Pick."

I had the Glock up, aimed center mass. "Let her go."

"Sure." He yanked the lever.

The lights didn't flicker. The room didn't shake. But something in my chest lurched sideways, like the ground fell and caught itself.

Lyla gasped. "Mark, you have to—"

"Shut up," Kyle said, and slammed her head into the pipe.

I fired.

The shot went wide. My hand was shaking. No, the room was shaking. No. Neither. The air was wrong, folded in on itself, and I couldn't keep the sights steady.

"Seventeen tries," Kyle said, stepping over Lyla's body. "You always shoot. You always miss. And she always says the same thing right before I do this."

He grabbed my wrist and twisted. The Glock hit the floor.