Chapter 18 · Wife Access Only

The voice coming through the relay wasn't distorted by decades of decay or broken signal. It was clear. Present. Waiting.

"Nolan Kade," her mother said. "I knew you'd call eventually."

Evelyn's legs locked. The wound in her shoulder stopped mattering. The bruises didn't hurt anymore. Everything narrowed down to that voice she hadn't heard in eight years, crackling through a blood-activated channel her mother shouldn't have access to.

Nolan was on his knees, one hand still pressed to the relay plate, blood pooling under his palm. His eyes bled gold down his cheeks like tears. He didn't look surprised.

"You knew," Evelyn said. Her voice came out flat. "You knew she'd answer."

"I gambled," Nolan said. He didn't look at her. His jaw was clenched so hard she could see the muscle jump. "Your mother made a pact with my father. Pacts don't dissolve just because one party runs. The channel stays open until someone severs it or dies."

"My father's dead," Evelyn said.

"Not that father."

The relay hummed. Her mother's voice came again, softer this time. "Evie? Are you there?"

Evelyn's throat closed. She wanted to scream. She wanted to put her fist through the wall.