Page 160 of Neon Flux

I finally met his eyes. “Are you questioning my professional judgment?”

“I’m questioning what the hell happened to the cold-blooded bastard I’ve worked with for three years,” Maddox shot back. “The one who never gets emotionally compromised.”

“You want to see compromised?” I asked, my voice low.

I stood. My movements were fluid despite the stiffness in my shoulder. Holographic displays flickered as my Flux responded to the spike in my emotional state, blue light crawling beneath my skin.

“I’ve spent my entire career being the perfect corporate asset,” I said, stepping around the desk. “I’ve put bullets in skulls while looking people in the eye. Interrogated targets until they begged for death. And not once—not once—has anyone gotten the drop on me like she did. I want to know why.”

Maddox didn’t back down. “Tex is asking questions about your involvement with her. Wants to know if your judgment is compromised.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“Nothing. Yet.” Maddox narrowed his eyes. “But you’re making it really hard to cover for you.”

“I don’t need covering.”

“Then stop walking around with that busted nose like you’re hoping someone’ll say something so you’ve got an excuse to beat the shit out of them.” He gestured toward the holos. “And stop turning one night with a runner into whatever this is.”

My hand shot out, gripping his collar before he could react. The larger man tensed, but didn’t fight back.

For three heartbeats, we stayed frozen.

Then, as quickly as it came, the rage drained from my face. I released my partner and turned away, suddenly fascinated by the data flickering on my desk.

“Something happened,” I admitted quietly.

Maddox straightened his collar, watching me with newfound caution. “With her Flux?”

“With everything.” My voice had lost its edge, revealing an exhaustion that ran deeper than physical fatigue. “The way our Flux synchronized.” The way she looked at me after—like I was someone who mattered. “It wasn’t Vector-driven. This was…something else.”

“Never thought I’d be the one givingyouthis talk,” Maddox muttered. “But people like us? We don’t get that. We don’t get closeness. We don’t get gentleness. We get violence—and if we’re lucky, a swift death. That’s all we deserve.”

I ran my fingers over the bridge of my nose again. “You hate yourself that much, man?”

“We’re not good, Cy. We do the work that needs to be done, so others get to keep their hands clean. They live in their fantasy world where courtrooms and ideals decide what’s right and wrong. But it’s never been about that. It’s always been about power. The powerful get what they want while the rest of us try to play by the rules. But there is no justice, only violence.” His lips were flat, his eyes so bright I could see them even through his Vysor.

He wasn’t wrong. Violence had always been my constant—shaping every choice, every path. Even when she looked at me and I felt peace. Even when we aligned and, just for a moment, I thought maybe she saw the real me—and wouldn’t run.

But she had run. Of course she had.

I understood. It was the only response that made sense when vulnerability was a weakness. And in this city, weakness gets you killed—usually by someone like me.

Sparks flew from my hand and shorted out my terminal. I stood and pushed past Maddox. “I’ll be back in time for our meeting.”

“Where are you going?” he called after me.

“To beat the shit out of someone.”

CHAPTER 55

EON

The tremors started in my fingertips, electric jolts dancing up my wrists and forearms, spreading through my body like a wildfire in the outlands. I pressed my palms flat against the cool surface of my apartment floor, but it did nothing to ground me. The Flux in my blood was restless, unconfined. Searching for an outlet.

“DITA, lights to twenty percent.” My voice cracked on the command.

“Of course, E.” The lights dimmed obligingly, casting my sparse apartment in merciful shadow. “Your cortisol levels are elevated. Would you like me to run a diagnostic on your Flux chip?”