Chapter 14 · Dead Man's Map

"Don't move another inch or I'll put a hole through your chest," the voice hissed from the shadows.

Reid didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. He just stood there, the cold air of the Ashport slums biting at the thin fabric of his borrowed clothes. He could feel the Veil Current humming under his skin—a low, vibrating frequency that told him exactly where the threat was. Three o'clock. Six feet away. Shaking slightly.

"You're not a pro," Reid said, his voice flat. "The safety's still on, and your finger is twitching. You're terrified."

"Shut up! Just... shut the hell up!" The figure stepped forward into the dim light of the flickering streetlamp. It wasn't a corporate hitman. It was a kid. Maybe sixteen, gaunt, with eyes that looked like they'd seen the end of the world and decided it wasn't worth the hype. He was holding a rusted pulse-pistol like it weighed a hundred pounds.

Reid shifted his weight, a slow, deliberate movement. "Where's the girl?"

"I don't know what girl you're talking about," the kid spat, though his eyes darted toward the alleyway behind him.