"New Game Plus," I repeated, the words tasting like ash.
Julian lowered the cigarette he had just lit. "What does that mean? Is she a gamer?"
"It means she remembers," I whispered, turning to face them. My hands were shaking, and I clenched them into fists to hide it. "It means Elara isn't just reacting to my revenge. She's anticipating it. She lived through the first timeline, just like I did."
I paced the small length of the boathouse, the damp air suffocating me.
"That explains everything," I said, the pieces of the puzzle slamming into place with terrifying clarity. "It explains why she wasn't at the precinct to bail Lysander out. It explains how she knew exactly where to plant the bug in your office. She knew because I used that same bug model in the future to spy on competitors.
