Chapter 35 · Blood Under His Signature

"Sign it, Selah, or watch me die for you." Kane's hand slammed against the steel table. Blood ran from his palm, over his wrist, and dripped onto the contract between us.

I kept my knife under his jaw.

"You don't get to make that sound noble," I said. "You walked into the Bureau trap without telling me."

"I walked in because they had your kill order queued."

"And now?"

"Now they have mine too."

The red countdown above the table dropped from twelve seconds to eleven.

A thin line of gold light crawled across Kane's chest. It slipped under his shirt and pulsed against his skin, matching the bond mark burned into my wrist. Every pulse made his knees weaken. Every time he staggered, the contract flashed brighter.

The Bureau had built the trap for both of us. Typical. Vivian never wasted a weapon when she could make two enemies point at each other.

Kane's eyes stayed on mine. Blue. Steady. Too calm for a man bleeding onto a document that could own his life.

"What happens if I sign?" I asked.

"The contract moves the damage to me."

"You already took the damage."

"Not all of it.