Page 170 of Stormbreaker

“I think we should wait until we’re inside. Just in case.”

He nods as if that’s the answer he expected. Then he sets his fork down before wiping his hands. He looks around the room, his gaze sliding over the other students, eyes darkening. I peer over my shoulder, noticing that Trinity has entered with her new friends. Another recruit has his arm around her shoulders—not the one I met on the boat, a new guy—and it’s obvious by their body language that they’re more than casual acquaintances.

I turn around to look at Edward, his brow lowered as he works his jaw. I have no idea what to say.

His gaze meets mine.

He shakes his head, and I think he’s about to get up and walk out, but something shifts in his expression.

Uncertainty morphs into determination. Like he just came to some kind of conclusion.

Then he levels me with a look.

“Fuck it. If you can get us in, and this information exists, I’ll find out whatever you want.”

61

“You want to do what?” Rook asks after I return to our room a little while later. He’s sitting on his bed, staring at me like I’ve grown another head.

“I want to steal my father’s access card and break into The Shield’s office.”

I say it calmly, but only because I spent an hour walking around repeating it to myself until I could do so without wanting to throw up.

“Poet,” Rook says, a warning in his tone. “That’s an incredibly dangerous idea.”

I twirl a lock of hair and place a hand on my hip. “I know, but you must admit, it has some merit.”

He snorts a laugh and shakes his head. “I suppose it does, but even with a key card, anyone who sees us will know we don’t belong there.”

“You’re right,” I say. “So we use a distraction.”

“A distraction?”

I pace away, crossing the room and then back. While trying to convince myself this isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever had, I also considered some logistics that just might make it work.

“The graduation masquerade is coming up in a week,” I say, and Rook arches a brow.

“And?”

“And it’s a huge party,” I say. “All the Houses will be there. The Shield. The scions attend. Their families. All the important players come to ‘welcome the future of Society.’”

“Okay?”

“And it takes all kinds of resources to pull off. The whole city celebrates in its own way, meaning an increased need for security, so the Citadel operates with only a skeleton staff.”

Rook sits up straighter, paying closer attention. “I didn’t know any of that.”

“Most people don’t,” I say. “They keep it quiet, but I’ve overheard my dad talking about it many times. There are always concerns about riots or Solitude attacks that night. Even with everyone on duty, they have only so many resources to draw on. And if there’s a storm that night, the Patrol is stretched even further.”

Rook stands up and crosses the room, stopping before me. “This still seems risky, Poet.”

“It does,” I answer. “But I need to know what I am, and that’s what you came here to find. We need to understand why they’d keep this from us.”

His nostrils flare, and he inhales a slow breath. “All of that is true.”

“With more and more deaths, they’ll keep looking harder. They won’t ask questions if they discover us. We have to get ahead of it. This is the first time since I was a kid that I can see a future for myself that doesn’t end with me in the Extinguishers’ clutches.”

He places his hands on his hips and blows out a sigh. “And Edward is really going to help?”