The Memory Tax

In the walled city of Veylin, memories are currency. The wealthy hoard them, the poor trade them just to survive, and the government controls them all. A single stolen recollection can cost you your life.
Cara Ray has spent years in the shadows, dealing in black-market memories, extracting and selling stolen moments to those desperate enough to pay. She despises the elite who never have to know what it's like to forget their own past just to scrape by. And no one infuriates her more than Caleb Morrow-the cold, calculating son of Veylin's Memory Commissioner, a man who's never had to lift a finger to survive.
Caleb has never known hunger or the harsh realities of the streets. He's spent his life in the luxury of the city's upper echelons, shielded from the brutal truths of the world below. But when he learns that his mother's memories were erased by the government-and that she's still alive, somewhere in Veylin, living under control-his world is upended. To find her, Caleb needs help. The one person who could assist him is Cara. But she's no ally. She's everything he's been taught to despise.
When Caleb tracks Cara down, forcing her into an uneasy alliance neither of them wants, their rivalry turns into something far more complicated. Both are caught in a game of survival-one trying to recover what was stolen, the other fighting to keep her own secrets buried. And as the stakes get higher, Cara begins to see Caleb as more than just a privileged enemy. But trust is a luxury neither can afford, and with each step toward the truth, their fragile truce begins to crack.
In Veylin, memories are worth more than gold, and the line between enemy and ally is thin-especially when hearts are on the line.