The ruins of the city loomed around me, twisted metal and shattered concrete stretching into the distance like the bones of a dead giant.
I moved carefully, my pulse hammering in my ears. He was here.
Zero didn’t make mistakes. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t leave unfinished work. And I was unfinished work.
I gripped the memory key tighter in my palm. One shot. That’s all I had.
A flicker in the distance.
I spun—too late.
Something slammed into my side with the force of a battering ram. My ribs cracked, pain exploding through my chest as I flew backward. The world tilted, and then I hit the ground hard, rolling through the rubble.
Damn it. Too fast.
I barely had time to lift my head before Zero was on me.
His boot crashed down toward my face. I rolled, gasping through the pain, and
