The laundromat went silent.
Not quiet.
Silent.
The kind of silence that comes right before something breaks.
Three strangers.
One photograph of Maya.
And Lucien standing between them and me.
The lead man slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"We're not here to fight."
I laughed.
"That's funny."
His smile didn't move.
"We're here to make a deal."
"Not interested."
"You should hear the offer first."
Lucien took a single step forward.
The man immediately stopped smiling.
Good.
At least he had some survival instincts.
"What offer?" I asked.
His eyes shifted to me.
"Your memories."
Every muscle in my body tightened.
"What?"
"The things Project Ledger put inside your head."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes," he said softly.
"You do."
The certainty in h
