Chapter 25 · Reverse Order

"Get the hell away from me!"

I didn't just pull back—I lunged. My boot slammed into Kade’s chest, throwing him hard against the cold metal of the core interface. Before he could even gasp, I had my sidearm out, pressing the muzzle deep into the soft skin beneath his jaw.

Kade didn't fight it. He didn't even raise his hands. He just stared at me, chest heaving, eyes dark with something I couldn't name.

"Maya, listen to me," he rasped. I jammed the barrel deeper. "The recording—it’s old. Context matters."

"Context?" I spat. My voice was shaking. "My mother’s voice just told me you’re a lie. She told me not to trust you! And here you are, pushing me into a digital coffin!"

"Maya, put the gun down!" Iris screamed, her fingers blurring across the holographic keyboard. "We don't have time for a domestic dispute! The upload is at forty percent. If we don't shut it down now, the whole quarantine zone is gone!"

"Shut up, Iris!" I didn't take my eyes off him. "Why the games, Kade? Why the riddles? If you wanted to stop this, you could've said it in the first mile!"

Kade shifted.