BooksBarbecue
Back Keystone Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Dedication
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Chapter Four
  6. Chapter Five
  7. Chapter Six
  8. Chapter Seven
  9. Chapter Eight
  10. Chapter Nine
  11. Chapter Ten
  12. Chapter Eleven
  13. Chapter Twelve
  14. Chapter Thirteen
  15. Chapter Fourteen
  16. Chapter Fifteen
  17. Chapter Sixteen
  18. Chapter Seventeen
  19. Chapter Eighteen
  20. Chapter Nineteen
  21. Chapter Twenty
  22. Chapter Twenty-One
  23. Chapter Twenty-Two
  24. Chapter Twenty-Three
  25. Chapter Twenty-Four
  26. Chapter Twenty-Five
  27. Chapter Twenty-Six
  28. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  29. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  30. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  31. Chapter Thirty
  32. Chapter Thirty-One
  33. Chapter Thirty-Two
  34. Chapter Thirty-Three
  35. Chapter Thirty-Four
  36. Chapter Thirty-Five
  37. Chapter Thirty-Six
  38. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  39. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  40. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  41. Chapter Forty
  42. Chapter Forty-One
  43. Chapter Forty-Two
  44. Chapter Forty-Three
  45. Chapter Forty-Four
  46. Chapter Forty-Five
  47. Chapter Forty-Six
  48. Chapter Forty-Seven
  49. Epilogue
  50. Preview of Malice
  51. Preview of Incognito
  52. Acknowledgments
  53. About the Author

I believe him, and a pang shoots through me at the fact that he actually seems to care, but then I picture myself falling under his spell, spilling my secrets. Maybe that’s what he wants. I’m not falling for it. “Well, don’t wonder about me and don’t worry,” I say. “I can take care of myself. The other competition is here. You should keep an eye on her. Feel free to forget I exist.”

His eyes harden. “You don’t know how much I wish that was possible.”

Turning on his heel, he brushes past Chloe and disappears into the forest.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

January 1 20X6, Keystone

“The only difference between today’s Quest and a real-world heist is we’ll know who wins.” Dressed in black all the way to the beanie on his head, like he time-warped from an ancient mobster movie, Robie paces back and forth, his classically handsome profile silhouetted in front of the fire.

Chloe, Kyran, Garrett, and I stand at the front of the Lodge, our backs to the assembly. I connect with Garrett out of the corner of my eye. What is he thinking? Probably that he’s going to crush me. As if to punctuate my thoughts, he winks, and I snap my attention back to Robie, gritting my teeth.

“Today you act as a true Keystone Disconnect,” Robie continues. “Your mission is to find the truth and steal it. The path will open in front of you, if you are willing to see it.”

The energy in the room becomes a living, breathing thing, the air tightening in anticipation, like everyone is fighting for the last bit of oxygen, gulping in liquid adrenaline.

“As you know, along with gaining access to Keystone hideouts worldwide and the promise of rescue should you get caught during your Initiation, the winner will choose their partner for the Initiation heist. The trust between partners is extremely important to a heist’s success, so being able to handpick your counterpart is paramount.” He pauses to let us digest that.

All of that sounds great—especially the promise of rescue—but above all I’m doing this for myself. To prove I’m someone who goes after what she wants. This is my personal initiation—this is a test of the new me. I fill my lungs with air, then exhale, and calm clarity overcomes me.

“It starts with a riddle.” Weiss’s voice echoes through the Lodge, drawing my attention to him. “But first you must solve the cipher.” He hands each of us a skeleton key.

Before I have time to examine the key, the chandeliers go dark and the fires extinguish. Weiss appears, ushering us through a false panel in the back of the fireplace behind Robie. Heading down a corridor I never knew existed, I’m last to climb the ladder at the end. I emerge from a trapdoor in the forest floor into the foggy morning.