Chapter 20 · A Knife in the Nest

"Don't touch that door, Kaiser."

His hand stopped one inch from the iron latch.

I grabbed the back of his coat and yanked him away. The movement pulled me against his chest. Heat pressed through the wool between us, sharp and immediate. His breath brushed my temple.

Kaiser looked down at my fingers twisted in his coat.

"You usually ask before putting your hands on me?"

"You usually wait for permission before walking into a trap?"

His mouth tightened. "This is the old armory. No one has used it in twelve years."

"Then why is the seal on the lock fresh?"

That shut him up.

The mark cut into the iron was almost invisible under the dust. A thin ring. Three hooked lines. Morton work, but badly copied. The kind of copy meant to fool a guard who only knew the shape and not the craft.

Kaiser leaned closer. His shoulder brushed mine.

"You recognize it," he said.

"I recognize the mistake. The left hook is backward."

"You expect me to believe you can read a seal from one glance?"

"No. I expect you to believe your own eyes before someone gets us killed."

His gaze dropped to my hand.