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"Put the gun down, Evelyn."
Nolan had her wrist pinned against the steel door, her pistol trapped between them. His other hand held the blade she had hidden in her sleeve. The edge rested against the soft skin under her jaw.
She could feel his breath against her cheek. Warm. Steady. Infuriating.
"Move that knife," she said.
"You first."
"You don't get to give orders."
"I do when you're pointing a loaded gun at my chest."
His knee pressed between hers, locking her in place without crushing her. He was still pale from the black-market extraction, but his grip hadn't weakened. Not even after she had dragged him through two blocks of gunfire and hauled him into the abandoned service station.
Evelyn twisted hard.
Nolan caught the movement, shoved her wrist higher, and the pistol slipped from her fingers. It hit the floor with a sharp clack.
His mouth tilted. "That was a bad choice."
"You stealing my weapon was worse."
"I didn't steal it. I disarmed you."
"Same result."
"Not legally."
She drove her forehead into his nose.
He swore and staggered back. Evelyn snatched for the pistol, but Nolan kicked it under a rusted generator. She grabbed the nearest thing instead—a broken pipe—and swung.
He ducked. The pipe smashed into the door beside his head.
"You always this friendly?" he asked.
"Only with men who wake up in cages and bring armed hunters to my neighborhood."
"I didn't bring them."
"You were the cargo."
"And you stole me."
"I paid for you."
"With what?"
"Your future medical bills."
The answer landed harder than the pipe. His eyes dropped to the filter pack clipped at her belt, then to the small oxygen canister strapped across her back.
Evelyn saw the glance and stepped in front of it.
"Don't look at that."
"Your brother's sick."
"Don't say his name."
"Mika Santos. Seventeen. Lung damage from the dome breach. Needs a new filter every four days." Nolan's voice went quiet. "You ran the south tunnels tonight because the last one failed."
Her fingers tightened around the pipe.
"How do you know that?"
"I heard the buyer talking."
"You were unconscious."
"Apparently I listen better unconscious."
She swung again.
This time Nolan caught the pipe with both hands. His shoulders flexed under the torn black shirt, and the thin metal cuff around his wrist flashed red. The same red line burned around Evelyn's wrist.
Pain punched through her arm.
She gasped and dropped the pipe.
Nolan released it at once. "There. That's the tether."
Evelyn grabbed her wrist. The cuff had been cold when she cut him out of the cargo crate. Then it had locked around both of them, burned a matching mark into their skin, and filled her head with one ugly warning.
Ten feet apart. Cardiac failure.
She had ignored it because bullets were already chewing through the walls.
Now the lock pulsed under her skin like it had a heartbeat of its own.
"You knew what it was," she said.
"I knew it was bad."
"You said it was a tracking band."
"I was guessing."
"You guessed wrong."
"Clearly."
She shoved him back against the door. His shoulders hit metal. Her hand caught the front of his shirt, bunching the fabric at his throat.
"Who put this on us?"
Nolan looked down at her fist, then back at her face. "You did."
"Try again."
"The Authority. Maybe the people who sold me. Maybe you. You were the one who slapped it on my wrist."
"It opened when I touched the release panel. That doesn't mean I built it."
"You knew how to open the crate."
"I knew how to break a lock."
"You knew where to cut the power."
"I know how black-market cages work."
"You knew my blood could restart the dome."
The words stopped her hand.
Nolan noticed.
His gaze sharpened. "So you did know."
Evelyn hated the way he watched her. He had no memory, no name he could trust, and somehow he still saw too much.
"I knew a rumor," she said.
"What rumor?"
"That the man in the crate carried a power source in his blood."
"A power source?"
"Don't make it sound cute."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Your blood can feed the last safe dome. That's what the buyer said. That's why the Authority wants you alive. That's why half the outer zone wants you dead before they can get you back."
Nolan's face went still.
"And you?" he asked.
"I want payment."
"You already got it."
"No. I got a problem with a pulse."
"Then shoot me."
The words came soft.
Evelyn reached under her jacket and pulled the backup pistol from the holster at her hip. She pressed the muzzle into his ribs.
Nolan didn't flinch.
"You think I won't?"
"I think you need me alive."
"I need my brother alive. Those aren't the same thing."
"No. They're worse."
He looked at the gun, then at her face. His pupils tightened when the cuff pulsed again.
"How long does he have?" he asked.
"You don't get to ask me that."
"How long?"
"Three days. Maybe two. The filter is already cracking."
"And the dome?"
"The inner gate won't open for anyone from the outer zone."
"But it will open for my blood."
"That's what I was told."
"By whom?"
"A dead man who charged me double for the information."
"Convenient."
"You want honesty? Fine. I don't know if the rumor is true. I don't know if your blood starts the dome or shuts it down. I don't know why the Authority put your name on a kill list if they need you alive. I don't know why this lock chose me."
Nolan's eyes dropped to the matching red band around her wrist.
"It didn't choose you."
"Then what did it do?"
"It recognized you."
The service station groaned around them. Somewhere outside, boots scraped over broken glass. A voice called through the wall.
"Search every room! The girl has the asset!"
Nolan's hand closed around Evelyn's waist and pulled her sideways just as a burst of gunfire tore through the door. Metal spat across her shoulder. He turned his body, covering her with his back.
For one sharp second, her cheek pressed against his chest.
His heart slammed hard beneath her ear.
Not a normal heartbeat. Too fast. Too powerful. It matched the rhythm burning through the cuff.
The red band on her wrist flared.
Pain shot up both arms.
Evelyn shoved away. "Get off me."
"They'll hear us."
"Good. Maybe they'll shoot you."
"You say that a lot for someone dragging me out of a cage."
"I changed my mind."
"You can change it after we survive."
Another round punched through the door. Nolan seized her hand and pulled her toward the back of the station.
She dug her heels into the floor. "Don't touch me."
"Then keep up."
"I don't take orders from strangers."
"You took me from a locked crate. That makes us more than strangers."
"It makes you stolen property."
He stopped so fast she ran into him. His palm landed against the wall beside her head. The other hand still held hers.
His face was inches away.
"Say that again," he said.
His voice had changed. No humor. No confusion. Just a low warning that crawled under her skin.
Evelyn lifted her chin. "You're property."
His gaze moved over her face, stopping at her mouth for half a second before returning to her eyes.
"Careful."
"What? You going to threaten me with another knife?"
"No."
"Then step back."
"Can't."
"Won't."
"Both."
The cuff gave a hot twitch between their wrists.
Evelyn looked down. A thin line of red light ran from the band on her arm to Nolan's. It vanished under their joined hands.
Nolan followed her stare.
"That wasn't there before," he said.
"It was. You were busy bleeding on my boots."
"The lock is syncing."
"Stop saying things like that."
"You'd rather I lied?"
"I'd rather you shut up."
"You have a terrible plan."
"It got us out."
"It got us into a room with six armed men outside and a contract neither of us can remove."
"You were the one with the buyers."
"You were the one who shot them."
"They were going to cut you open."
The words came out before she could stop them.
Nolan stared at her.
Evelyn released his hand. "Don't read into it. I needed the cargo intact."
"Right."
"I did."
"Sure."
"Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you think you know me."
"I don't know you."
"Good."
"But I know you came back for me."
Her jaw tightened. "You were worth money."
"You could've left me."
"I almost did."
"Almost doesn't count."
"It counts when you're trying to stay alive."
The hunters shouted again. A heavy body slammed against the front door.
Nolan glanced toward the noise. "We need a way out."
"There's a maintenance tunnel beneath the generator."
"Locked?"
"Buried."
"Can you open it?"
"Can you stop asking questions?"
"No. My memory's gone. Questions are all I have."
That one hit differently. His mouth stayed hard, but his fingers flexed at his side.
Evelyn noticed the movement. "What do you remember?"
"Pieces."
"Useful pieces?"
"A white room. A woman yelling at me. A machine under the city. Then pain. Then the cage."
"What was the woman yelling?"
"I don't know."
"You said you heard the buyer. You remember that."
"I remember voices. Not faces."
"Convenient again."
"You want to accuse me, do it while we move."
He turned toward the generator.
Evelyn raised the pistol and caught his sleeve. "You don't get to walk away."
Nolan looked at the weapon. "You're still holding the gun wrong."
"I'm close enough."
"No. Your thumb is on the safety."
She checked it without meaning to.
The safety was off.
Nolan moved.
He slapped the pistol from her hand, caught her elbow, and spun her into the generator. The machine rattled. His forearm pinned her across the collarbone, not hard enough to choke, just enough to keep her from reaching the weapon under the pipes.
His body blocked the only exit.
"You keep trying that," he said. "One day, I'll assume you mean it."
"I do mean it."
"Then pull the trigger."
"You think the tether protects you?"
"No. I think it kills us both."
Evelyn went still.
Nolan leaned closer. His breath brushed the side of her face. "You felt it when the lock synced. You know what happens if you put a bullet through me."
"You die."
"And you die."
"Maybe not."
"You want to test it?"
She shoved against his chest. "Get away from me."
He didn't move.
"Back up," she snapped.
"Give me the gun."
"Go to hell."
"Evelyn."
The sound of her name in his mouth made her pause. It shouldn't have. He said it like he had been using it for years, like he had found it somewhere she couldn't reach.
She hated that more than the knife.
"Don't use my name."
"Then stop making me say it."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know your pulse jumped."
"Because you're crushing my arm."
"I'm not touching your arm."
His gaze dropped.
His forearm was braced across her shoulder, but his hand had shifted to the wall beside her. He wasn't holding her now. She could move.
She didn't.
That annoyed her enough to shove him away.
Nolan let her go. Evelyn dove for the pistol. He grabbed the back of her jacket and pulled her upright before her fingers reached it.
"Damn it!"
"You fight dirty."
"You fight like a wall."
"Walls last longer."
"Not when I bring explosives."
She reached into her pocket and threw a charge at his feet.
Nolan stared at the palm-sized cylinder. "You brought explosives into a fuel station?"
"It's a door charge."
"That is not better."
"Get down."
She slapped the trigger.
Nothing happened.
Nolan looked at her. "Dead battery?"
"I said get down."
"Your plan is falling apart."
"My plans improve when people stop talking."
The front door buckled inward.
Nolan snatched the charge and threw it beneath the generator. Then he grabbed Evelyn around the waist and dragged her behind a concrete support as the blast punched through the room.
Dust slammed into her mouth. The generator flipped. A black hole opened beneath it, revealing a narrow maintenance shaft.
Nolan landed over her, one hand planted beside her head. His hair had fallen across his forehead. A cut marked his cheek.
Evelyn reached up and wiped the blood away before she could think better of it.
He caught her fingers.
Neither of them moved.
His skin was hot. Her glove was cold between them.
"Don't," she said.
"You started it."
"I was checking the cut."
"You looked worried."
"I looked annoyed."
"Your face does both badly."
She yanked her hand free. "Down the shaft."
"You first."
"Afraid I'll leave you?"
"Afraid you'll shoot me from below."
"Now you learn."
Boots hit the shattered doorway.
Nolan pushed himself up and offered his hand. "Move."
Evelyn ignored it and dropped into the shaft.
He followed, landing close enough that his knee struck hers. The space was too narrow for distance. His shoulder pressed against one wall, hers against the other. Every breath moved between them.
Above, a hunter shouted, "Seal the lower access!"
Nolan looked down the tunnel. "Which way?"
"Left."
"You sure?"
"No. Keep walking."
They moved together because the tether left them no choice. When Evelyn stepped too quickly, the cuff yanked her back. Nolan caught her waist before she hit the wall.
"I'm fine," she said.
"You keep saying that while falling."
"Let go."
"Stand straight first."
His hand stayed at her side one second too long.
Evelyn felt the heat of his palm through her jacket. She could smell smoke, metal, and the sharp clean scent of antiseptic from the bandage at his neck.
She stepped away as far as the tunnel allowed.
The cuff flashed.
A warning crawled across the small display built into the band.
DISTANCE LIMIT: 8.7 FEET.
Nolan read it over her shoulder.
"It shrank," he said.
"Why?"
"Stress response. Maybe blood loss. Maybe the contract is tightening."
"Can you remove it?"
"I can't even remember my own birthday."
"Try harder."
He faced her. "You think I want this?"
"I think you know more than you're saying."
"I think you stole the wrong man."
"Then tell me your name."
His jaw worked.
"Nolan Vale."
"That's what the buyer called you."
"It's what I remember."
"And if it's fake?"
"Then find me a better one."
A scraping sound came from the tunnel behind them.
Evelyn pulled the pistol from her belt and aimed past his shoulder.
Nolan stepped in front of the barrel. "Don't."
"Move."
"You can't fire in here."
"I can fire wherever I want."
"The bullet will hit me first."
"That's the point."
He took the gun from her hand before she could tighten her grip. This time, he didn't throw it away. He turned it, checked the chamber, and pressed the muzzle against his own forehead.
Evelyn's breath caught.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Proving something."
"Put it down."
"You want me dead."
"Not like this."
"Why not? The tether does the work for you."
"Nolan."
"Pull the trigger."
His eyes stayed on hers. Close. Steady. Almost daring her to admit she couldn't do it.
Evelyn reached for the weapon. He caught her wrist and held it against his chest. The gun remained at his forehead.
His heart hammered under her palm.
The cuff flared red.
"Feel that?" he whispered. "That's your life tied to mine."
"You're insane."
"Maybe. Pull anyway."
"I said put it down."
"Say you need me."
Her face burned. "I'd rather choke on dome dust."
"Say it."
"I need what your blood can do. Not you."
Something moved behind his eyes. Not hurt. Not exactly. Anger, maybe. Or satisfaction.
"Close enough," he said.
He lowered the gun.
Evelyn ripped it from his hand and shoved it into his belt. "Try that again and I'll break your wrist before I save you."
"You'd save me first?"
"Don't get proud. I need your blood intact."
"You keep saying that like it makes this less personal."
"Everything is personal when my brother is dying."
The tunnel lights flickered on.
A thin red scan swept over Nolan from head to toe. The cuff vibrated against Evelyn's skin.
Nolan looked toward the ceiling. "That wasn't the hunters."
"No."
A speaker crackled overhead.
"Unauthorized biological asset detected. Neural lock confirmed. Recovery team inbound."
Evelyn grabbed Nolan's sleeve. "Run."
"Where?"
"Forward."
"You said this tunnel was buried."
"It still is."
"That sounds like a problem."
"It becomes your problem if you stop moving."
They sprinted through the narrow passage. Nolan kept one hand on the wall and the other locked around hers. Their shoulders collided every few steps. The tether pulled tight whenever one gained more than a body length.
Behind them, metal doors began slamming open.
"How many exits?" Nolan asked.
"One."
"And if it's sealed?"
"Then we make another."
"With your dead charge?"
"I have more."
"Of course you do."
A red targeting beam crossed the tunnel ahead.
Evelyn shoved Nolan down and fired over him. The shot shattered the scanner. Sparks rained across the floor.
"You missed," he said.
"I didn't."
"You hit the light."
"That was the target."
"Sure."
He rose and pulled her through a side hatch. The metal door slammed behind them. Nolan twisted the wheel lock while Evelyn braced her shoulder against it.
The hunters hit the other side.
"This won't hold," she said.
"How long?"
"Thirty seconds."
"You have a better idea?"
"Yes. Stop asking me questions."
He looked at her, breathing hard. "You really hate questions."
"I hate men who ask them while I'm busy keeping them alive."
"You don't hate me."
"I absolutely do."
"Then why are you standing so close?"
The door shook.
Evelyn lifted her face. Their mouths were inches apart. She could feel his breath against her lips, could see the tiny shift in his eyes when he looked down at her mouth again.
She should have shoved him away.
Instead, she pressed two fingers against his chest and felt his heartbeat answer hers through the tether.
"Because if we separate, we die," she said.
His voice dropped. "That's not the only reason."
"Don't push me."
"You brought me back when you could've run."
"You were carrying the only thing my brother needs."
"And if I'm lying?"
"Then I'll kill you after I find out."
"There she is."
The door groaned behind him.
Evelyn reached into her coat and pulled out a thin black band. It was smaller than the cuff, made of dull polymer, with a tiny Authority seal stamped into the clasp.
Nolan spotted it immediately. "What's that?"
"A limiter."
"You carry one of those?"
"I carry a lot of things."
"For prisoners?"
"For people who try to kill me."
"I haven't tried."
"You put my gun to your head."
"You told me to pull the trigger."
"Exactly. You're a problem."
He caught her wrist before she could move. "What does it do?"
"Keeps you from running."
"The tether already does that."
"The tether keeps you within range. This keeps you from making decisions I can't afford."
His fingers tightened around her wrist. "You don't get to put another lock on me."
"I do if it gets my brother inside the dome."
"And if I say no?"
The hunters slammed into the door again.
Evelyn leaned closer, keeping her voice low. "Then I open this hatch, push you toward them, and let the Authority take you apart. Maybe they can make the dome work without your cooperation."
His grip went still.
"You wouldn't," he said.
"Try me."
"You'd sacrifice me to save him."
"Yes."
The answer sat between them, ugly and honest.
Nolan searched her face. His thumb brushed once across the inside of her wrist, right above the glowing cuff. The touch was careful enough to feel deliberate.
"You really are cruel," he murmured.
"And you're still here."
"Because you need me."
"Because you don't have a choice."
He gave a short laugh. "There it is."
Evelyn snapped the limiter around his wrist.
The device locked with a hard click.
Nolan jerked back. "Take it off."
"No."
"Evelyn."
"Stop saying my name like it belongs in your mouth."
"Take. It. Off."
He reached for the clasp. Evelyn caught his hand and drove his wrist against the wall.
The limiter lit up.
A thin red line traveled from the new band to the neural cuff, then jumped across the tether and into Evelyn's own mark.
Nolan sucked in a sharp breath.
The door behind him cracked open.
He looked down at the light spreading over both their wrists. Then he looked at her face, close enough that his breath shook against her cheek.
"What did you just do?" he asked.
Evelyn tightened her grip. "I made sure you stay with me."
The limiter gave a final electronic chirp.
Nolan's expression changed when the lock accepted her command. His wrist was no longer his to move without her permission.
Above the hunters' pounding, he stared at the mark on her skin, then back at her.
"You look just like the scientist who built this lock—"