Chapter 13 · She Forgot Him

"Don't move. Not a single muscle, Vance."

Cold steel pressed into the soft skin behind my ear. I froze. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. The air smelled of ozone and rain, but underneath it was something sharper—expensive cedar and cold iron.

"Turn around. Slowly." The voice was deep, a low vibration that made the hair on my arms stand up. "If I see your hands move toward a knife, I'll put a hole in your shoulder before you can blink."

I raised my hands, palms open. "Who the hell are you?"

I turned. My breath hitched.

He was tall—dangerously so. Jawline carved from granite, eyes that didn't just look at me—they searched me. He wore the black high-collared coat of a Contract Judge, the silver insignia gleaming under the flickering slum lights. He had the gun, the badge, and a gaze that made me feel naked in the middle of the street.

"You know exactly who I am, Mara," he said. His voice dropped an octave, sounding almost pained.

I frowned. "I don't. Never seen you in my life. Now put the gun down before someone decides to help me out.