Chapter 15 · The Vault's Secret

"Sit still, or I’ll pin you to the desk myself," Kane snapped, his voice grating like gravel. He didn't wait for her to comply, his hand already clamping onto Mara’s shoulder, shoving her back into the padded chair of the safehouse’s inner vault.

"I can sit by myself, thanks," Mara shot back, though her breath was coming in short, jagged hitches. She tried to twist away, but the movement triggered a sharp, electric spike in her chest. She gasped, her spine arching as the phantom pain rippled through her ribs.

Kane’s grip tightened. He didn't pull away. Instead, he leaned in, his chest nearly brushing her shoulder. She could feel the heat radiating off him, a stark contrast to the sterile chill of the vault. "Your heart is spiking. You’re stressing the link."

"Maybe because you're treating me like a prisoner," she spat, looking up at him.

He was too close. Mara could see the faint, silver lines of the surgical scars tracing his jawline—remnants of the gene-edits that had turned him into a corporate weapon.