Chapter 23 · Nine Hours Left

"Give it to me. Now."

I didn't just say it. I snapped. The muzzle of my pistol dug deep into the soft skin under Kade's jaw, forcing his head back.

He didn't flinch. He just looked at me with those tired, knowing eyes. God, I wanted to scream. He was slumped against the reinforced bulkhead of the inner sanctum, chest heaving, blood soaking the collar of his shirt. Between us sat the biometric scanner—a cold, humming piece of federal tech. The only thing standing between me and the truth about my mother.

"You're shaking, Maya," Kade whispered. His voice was a low rasp. Too calm. "If you're gonna shoot me, do it before the timer hits zero. Otherwise, we're both dead in this hallway."

"Don't tell me what I'm doing," I hissed.

I stepped in. Hard. The toe of my boot pinned his heel to the floor. I could smell the metallic tang of his blood and something else—ozone and old rain. "My mother's note said you held the key. She told me not to trust you. So tell me why I shouldn't just put a bullet in your brain and find another way in.