Seizure(24)

Ignoring their disapproval, I opened the bureau, pulled out the drawer, and leaned close.

No good. Too dark. I needed better light and more time.

I glanced over my shoulder. Ben, Shelton, and Hi stood behind me, shoulder to shoulder. Scowling. A solid wall of opposition.

Deep breath.

“Guys …”

“Absolutely not!”

“Crazy woman!”

“I just got out of trouble!”

Okay. Bad start.

Hi ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m as excited about some girl-on-girl pirate action as anyone could be—”

“Oh, real nice!” I cut in, but Hi rolled right over me.

“—and would love to go treasure hunting all day, but you’ve officially lost it. This is not a realistic idea!”

“You’re talking about stealing an artifact from the Charleston Museum!” Shelton’s eyes darted to the curtains. “There must be alarms, cameras, motion sensors. We won’t get ten feet!”

“Look around.” I dropped all pretense of not plotting a robbery. “There’s no power in here! Just extension cords. No electricity, no security.”

It was true. The wall cameras were clearly down. Inside the glass case, the sensor lights were inactive.

“No one’s been in this room in months.” I ran a finger through the layer of dust coating a nearby case. “You heard Chris. This exhibit won’t reopen until spring. We’ll return the map before anyone notices it’s missing.”

“Chris will notice when he comes back to lock the bureau,” Hi said.

“Shelton can use one of his pick thingies and secure the drawer behind us,” I countered. “We only need the map long enough to copy it, or make some sense of it. Plus, Chris might not even remember.”

“No.” Ben stepped forward. “Too much risk, and for what? This isn’t a freaking Disney movie. We aren’t really going to find buried treasure. Grow up.”

“Then let’s all say our good-byes now, because I am out of ideas!”

Tears threatened, but I fought them back.

Right now, I needed to bully.

“This is it, guys.” One by one, I met their eyes. “Our parents can’t fix it. Money won’t fall from the sky. We either give this a shot, or call it a life. We’ll each have to deal with the flares on our own.”

Dead silence. Seconds. Minutes. Hours?

“Crap.” Shelton rubbed his forehead with one hand.

“Victoria Brennan, you are the worst influence in the history of high school friends.” Hi covered his face with both hands. “How many felonies are we up to now? Three? Six? Ten?”

Ben locked his eyes on mine for a long moment. Then, “How?”

“How do you think?”

I smiled, then slapped him full across the face.

“Ow!” Ben’s eyes blazed in the gloom. “Warn me next time!” he said with an inhaled breath.

“Then it wouldn’t work.” Hi’s irises flashed to yellow. “You’re not skilled like me.” But a sheen of sweat betrayed Hi’s bravado. He knew how unstable the powers could be. How easily one could lose control.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Shelton trembled as the flare fired through him. “Fear still gets it done. Got plenty of that right now.”

I blocked the others out. Reaching deep, I tried to tap into my canine DNA.

Nothing.

Then …

SNAP.

Heat coursed through my body. My skin roiled with the torture of a thousand bee stings. Sweat burst from my pores. Teeth clenched, I grimaced as the wolf came out.

“You okay?” Hi asked.

“Fine,” I panted. “It was worse this time.”

“We shouldn’t be doing this!” Shelton whined. “It’s playing with fire!”

“More like Russian roulette.” Hi shuddered. “I’ll watch the door.”

“I’ll join you,” Ben said.

I quickly scanned the room, my gaze lasering through the shadows. The exhibit now seemed lit up like a Broadway show.

“Help me with the drawer case,” I said to Shelton.

“It’s a very simple lock,” Shelton tapped the side. “The key would go here. They must rely on high-tech sensors.”

“Let’s hope I’m right about the electricity. Open.”

Shelton popped the case with preternatural speed.

We froze. No screaming alarm.

I lifted the glass and removed the pins. Still nothing. Rolling the map as tightly as I dared, I reached to slide it under the back of my shirt.

Ben strode over and held out a hand. “Give it to me.”

“Why?”

He snatched the map from my grip. “No point in you getting busted if this fiasco falls apart.” Ben jabbed a finger at Shelton. “Bolt this thing up and we’re out of here.”

“All clear,” Hi whispered from beside the curtains. His voice boomed in my supersonic ears. “But hurry, my head is spinning!”

“Done.” Shelton pocketed his lock-pick set and rushed next to Hi. We waited as he cocked his head toward the hallway. Best ears.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s bounce.”