ht on t

for you," the man in the g

till in the lobby, the n

h Mr.

aver. "Does it matt

s more tha

And if it was Richard, then the car outside wasn't going to ta

the train,

aid I mus

ust enough for the night guard to glance over. "Do you want t

ped his cap, stepped back, and said sof

obby, cut through the parking garage, and took thre

e was silent when

n the kitchen counter sat a covered plate and a handwritten n

d at the h

handwriting as

shed, almost frantic. This one was calm. But the shape

e roof note into her p

k drawer, feel so different? Don't trust him.

sland, picked at the plat

:3

0:

ed in, shed his coat, and went straight to his study wit

the click o

ting for m

footsteps passed her door, paused for one

echoed through the whole apartment. At 11:52, she slipped on he

to the roof was

d hit he

h of concrete with the city glittering on every side like spilled stars. At the edge, a dar

Adrian said w

u as

ink you'd tru

aid honestly. "I

there was no ice on his face. No sneer. No mask. He lo

en a

an in the gray cap. The ca

fat

hough

e airfield, not home." Adrian's jaw tightened. "Friday was never your flight date, Amara. It was a s

round tilt. "He

is voice cracked slightly

e words away and the

th certificate. Your parents' ruin. All of it was his. I found out eight months ago, go

red at him. "The folder.

atch. In plain sight." He swallowed. "And the only way to make hi

eyes

ime you humi

atch. "Every single time. And every time, I told myself it was wo

had broken her heart. The man who had stood in a doorw

d y

typed note. "The

e read it once, an

n't wri

en w

ng close." His fingers curled around the paper. "Someone wh

ver ran dow

n the thirty-first fl

" Adrian said, "is w

om somewhere in the city.

atch, and something sof

birthday

inked.

e twenty-seven today." He said it so

d those words to her in mor

it?" She suddenly understood. "Zu

ocked in a trust the day you were declared dead. It unlocks, to you and only you, on your twenty-seven

led. The city

"by tonight you'll either be the most power

e lights blinked on, one by one, thou

ne was