Chapter 18 · His Mother's Debt

"Get in the car."

Mara's gun wasn't aimed at me yet, but her hand was on it. We were standing in the rain outside the rewinding station, and the reset had just dumped us back into the present. My legs felt like someone had run voltage through them.

"We need to move," I said.

"I asked you a question." Her voice was flat. "Who the hell is Nia to you?"

I wiped rain off my face. "Someone I knew a long time ago."

"Try again."

"She lived two blocks from me when I was a kid. We used to steal batteries from the corner store and sell them at the transit lot."

Mara took a step closer. Water ran down the barrel of her gun. "And now she's running logistics for the same man who built the reset. Coincidence?"

"I don't know what she's running."

"Bullshit." She pulled the gun. "You've been covering for her since the garage. Every time I get close, you redirect. Every time I ask about her, you go quiet."

I put my hands up. Not high. Just enough to show I wasn't reaching for anything. "I haven't seen her in twelve years.