Chapter 18 · You said now

"You said now."

"I said don't blame me."

"You can stop me or get out of the way. Pick one."

His thumb pressed over the cut. Warm blood slipped between them. The lock flashed.

Ayla froze.

The mark on her wrist opened like an eye.

Kade's face went blank. "Ayla."

"Don't say my name like that."

"The lock knows you."

"Everything knows me tonight. Let go."

The ledger snapped open.

Pages whipped past in a blur. Names, dates, debt values. Ayla saw old district families, children marked for inherited power charges, entire blocks listed as damaged assets. The company had not been repairing the district after the disaster. It had been billing the survivors for the energy it stole from them.

"There," Sable said. "Stop it."

Ayla slammed her palm against the pages.

The book stopped.

A map filled the spread. The old districts were marked in red, but the lines did not point toward the broken power stations. They all pointed toward one place beneath the city.

The safehouse.

"This is underneath us," Ayla said.

Kade leaned over her shoulder. "No."

"You recognize it."

"I recognize the shape."

"From where?"

His fingers touched the edge of the page.