Chapter 22 · What about it?

He went still.

There. That was the card I’d been waiting to play.

"What about it?" he asked.

"You tell me."

"You accessed my system."

"Your password was pathetic."

"It was encrypted."

"It was your mother’s birthday followed by the word hero."

For half a second, his expression went blank.

I smiled. "Painful, right?"

"What did you see?"

"Enough."

"That isn’t an answer."

"It’s the only one you’re getting for free."

He stepped in again. I backed into the wall, but this time I kept hold of his shirt. The fabric pulled tight beneath my fingers.

"You found the recovery plan," he said.

Not a question.

I watched his face. "So that’s what you call it."

"Selah—"

"No. Say it. You built a plan to use me, drain the bond, and erase me when I stopped being useful."

His hand came up and caught my chin before I could turn away.

The touch was light. The warning in his eyes wasn’t.

"Lower your voice."

"Why? Afraid the walls will hear what the Bureau’s favorite hero does to his allies?"

"You’re not my ally.