Chapter 12 · You say yes. You initiate contact. You can stop at any point

"You say yes. You initiate contact. You can stop at any point."

"And if I stop?"

"The vault stays closed."

"What does it take from me?"

"Nothing permanent. It opens a shared channel between us."

"Shared channel." I gave him a flat look. "That sounds harmless."

"It isn't."

"There it is."

Carson leaned one shoulder against the panel. The metal groaned under his weight. "You'll feel what I feel for a few seconds. You may see a memory. I may see one of yours."

"No."

"Ivy—"

"Absolutely not. You don't get inside my head."

"I don't want to see your memories."

"You arrested me over memories you didn't even bother to verify."

His gaze sharpened. "I arrested you because the evidence pointed at you."

"The evidence was deleted by someone who knew your clearance codes."

"I know."

That stopped me.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a narrow black drive. He held it between two fingers, just out of reach.

"The recording you stole from the tribunal isn't only a disaster log," he said.