Chapter 24 · Blackout Ledger - Chapter 24: The Ledger Opens

"Don't touch it." Kael's hand clamped over mine before my fingers reached the case.

I yanked back. "It's got my name on it."

"That's why you don't touch it." He crouched, studying the seam where the black case had slid from the wall. No dust. No scratches. Like it had been waiting.

Jon limped closer, one hand pressed to his ribs. "Raina, that thing came out of a wall that shouldn't exist. Maybe listen to the man."

"The man who lied about the kill order?" I looked at Kael. "The one who says I'm not dead but won't say who I used to be?"

Kael didn't look up. "You want answers or you want to be right?"

"Both."

"Then step back." He pulled a slim tool from his coat, slid it along the case's edge. The lock didn't click. It hissed. Pale vapor curled out, cold enough I felt it from three feet away.

Jon swore. "That's cryo-seal. Who the hell locks a case like that?"

"Someone who doesn't want it opened twice," Kael said. He glanced at me. "Last chance. We walk away, no one knows what's inside."

I stepped forward. "Open it.