Chapter 15 · Dead Zone of the Scrap City

"Put the girl down, or I'll peel the skin off your fingers one by one," the dealer spat, his voice like grinding gravel.

Kane didn't move. He didn't even blink. He just kept his grip tight on Lyra’s wrist, pulling her closer until her shoulder pressed against his chest. The dealer, a greasy man named Jax with a cybernetic eye that flickered a sickly yellow, leaned over his counter of salvaged tech. Three thugs stood behind him, holding shock-staves that hummed with a low, hungry electricity.

"She's with me," Kane said. His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, but it carried a vibration that made the scrap metal on the table rattle.

"I don't give a damn who she's with," Jax sneered, his yellow eye zooming in and out. "She's a fugitive. The bounty on her head could buy this whole block. Now, hand her over, and maybe I won't charge you for the air you're wasting in my shop."

Lyra shifted against Kane, her breath hitching. She tried to pull back, her voice a sharp whisper. "Kane, don't. He's not worth it. We just need the terminal access, not a massacre."

Kane didn't look at her.