Chapter 6 · Shared Trigger

"Get your hand off my gun." Kane's fingers closed over my wrist before I could fire.

The rifle kicked against my shoulder. The shot went wide, smashing a fist-sized chunk out of the bunker wall instead of the armored soldier climbing through the smoke.

Kane twisted my wrist until my fingers went numb. His chest pressed against my back, hard and hot through two layers of tactical gear. The linked HUD flashed red across my vision.

SHARED PAIN RESPONSE: 38% NEURAL DESYNC: 7% CORE TEMPERATURE: CRITICAL

"You were aiming at the wrong target," he said against my ear.

"I was aiming at the one shooting at us. Let go."

"Not until you stop trying to kill the only person keeping you alive."

A heavy round punched through the bunker entrance. Concrete burst over our heads. Kane dragged me down as the ceiling spat dust across my hair and shoulders.

The rifle stayed trapped between us. So did his arm. His grip was brutal, precise, and annoyingly steady.

I drove my elbow backward.

He caught it.

"Cute," he muttered.

"I wasn't trying to be cute."

"That makes it worse."

I slammed my heel into his shin.