Chapter 13 · Mother's Blueprint

"Don't touch that door." Nolan caught my wrist before my palm hit the scanner.

His grip was hot. Not warm. Hot enough to sting through my sleeve.

I twisted hard. "Let go."

"The lock is live."

"So am I. Move."

"Evelyn."

He said my name like it was a warning and a plea shoved into the same breath. His fingers tightened around me. Behind the sealed lab door, a green status strip blinked once, then turned black.

I looked at his hand. "You have three seconds to decide whether you want that wrist attached."

"You can't cut through the door."

"I don't need to. I need you to stop holding me back."

"Your mother built this place. If she wanted us inside, the lock would open."

That landed harder than his grip.

My pulse jumped. "You don't know what she wanted."

"I know what she did."

The neural contract under my skin gave a sharp, hot pull. Nolan felt it too. His jaw clenched, and for half a second his thumb pressed against the inside of my wrist, right over my racing pulse.

Too close. Too careful.

I yanked free. "Don't use the contract to scare me."

"I didn't.