Chapter 18 · Ghost in the Foundry

Kane’s left hand locked around my throat before I could get two steps into the foundry.

His fingers pressed hard enough to stop my breath. His right hand shoved a pistol under my jaw, but his left arm hung wrong, shoulder twitching in small, ugly jerks.

“Don’t move,” he said.

“You’re choking me.”

“That’s the idea.”

I drove my elbow into his ribs.

He grunted, but his grip didn’t loosen. His body was still faster than mine, even with half of it lagging behind his brain. The neural link flashed hot along my spine. Pain shot from my neck to my knees.

A warning crawled across my vision.

NEURAL DESYNC: 47% MOTOR CONTROL IMPAIRED PARTNER SIGNAL: UNSTABLE

“Your arm’s about to fall off,” I rasped. “Want me to help?”

“Keep talking and I’ll break your windpipe.”

“Cute. You always threaten women when your software crashes?”

His jaw tightened. The pistol stayed under my chin.

Then a metal claw punched through the wall behind us.

Kane threw me down before the claw could reach my back. We hit the concrete together.