Chapter 19 · Undercity Broker - Chapter 19: Lei Brings the Old Debt

Lei showed up at the platform entrance just after midnight, hands empty and visible.

Lin watched him from the dark gap between two container stacks. The loan shark looked worse than the last time they'd crossed paths. His jacket was torn at the shoulder, dried blood crusted along his hairline, and he kept glancing back the way he'd come like something might be following.

Lin didn't move. His ribs still ached from the warehouse run two nights ago, and his left eye socket throbbed where the vision had been traded away. The curse mark on his arm felt warm, which usually meant danger or opportunity. Sometimes both.

"I know you're here." Lei's voice bounced off the concrete. "I'm not armed. Just need to talk."

Lin stayed quiet. He'd learned that silence made people fill gaps with truth.

Lei shifted his weight, wincing. "Look, I get it. Last time I tried to drag you topside for the bounty. But things changed."

"Things always change," Lin said from the shadows. "Usually right before someone gets shot."

Lei flinched at the voice but didn't run. "Yeah. Well. This time the change is my boss wants me dead too."

That got Lin's attention.