“Father.”

Laredo Torre glanced up from his breakfast. At the sight of Arelia, he turned back to his eggs.

Arelia paused in the doorway, suddenly aware of how filthy she was. She still wore her soot-stained flightsuit from last night, and she hadn’t washed since the previous morning. She glanced at the floor. Suddenly, she felt five again, noisy and undesirable. I should go. Father doesn’t want me here. He doesn’t want to see me like this, dirty and disgusting.

No. I have to know. She stepped forward.

He glared at her. “Must you interrupt breakfast?”

Arelia stopped in her tracks. She clasped her hands in front of her, froze, and self-consciously tucked them behind her back instead. “Why did you send me to plant the bomb?”

“I sent you to hand off a package,” her father corrected her.

She swallowed. Silently, she waited for him to answer.

He put down his knife and fork and sighed. One hand massaged his temple. “Since you insist upon ruining my meal… I suppose you’ve seen the filthy side of this business. You’re disgusted with me, is that it?”

Arelia shook her head. “I want to know why.”

“Why I chose you?”

“Why you chose me, why you needed to destroy that building, why you want to tear down the Block. Why?”

He sighed. “Arelia, you don’t need to understand. This life isn’t for you.”

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Arelia’s eyes blazed. Fury welled up inside her. “You get to decide that?”

“I know that. I’ve been doing this for years. You aren’t suited for it.”

She scowled. “Not suited for it? What does that mean?”

Laredo shook his head and leaned on his hand, tired. “It means you aren’t suited. Live an upright life. Forget about this world.”

“Say what you mean. I’m in harness, therefore I’m not worthy.”

Laredo slammed his hand down on the table.

Arelia jumped.

He curled his lip in disgust and shook his head again. “You’re right. Is that what you want to hear? You’re right. You’re in harness, that’s why you won’t succeed me. Because of that filthy hand of yours. I’m fine with letting harness into my group. Fine with my men getting it when they have no other choice. But someone in harness can never lead the group. We’d be no better than the damn streetpunks. Leadership has to set an example. Leadership has to stand by our principles, more than anyone else. You can never be pure. You can never stand for our beliefs.”

It stung. Arelia stumbled back as though she’d been slapped. “You don’t mean that.”

“It’s the same reason I have to destroy that awful Block. Torch the filth to the ground. When you go after wasps, you burn the nest. It’s the same principle. To clean up our city, to make it safer, better, more beautiful, we have to destroy what drags us down.”

Her face twisted. “You want to burn me to death?”

Laredo sighed. “You were perfect, Arelia. Beautiful. If only your mother hadn’t put that goddamned harness on you. If only you didn’t have those filthy chips in your precious brain. Then, maybe…”

Instinctively, she hid her hand behind her back. “Then I would still be filth, since my hand isn’t perfect.”

He shook his head. “Never, Arelia. Never.”

“Did you ever consider that I might want this? That I might want to succeed you?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. When you’re older, you’ll thank me.”

Disgusted, Arelia turned away. “I don’t know what I expected.”

Laredo sighed. “Clean yourself up before you come back. It smells awful.”

She paused in the doorway. Her face went blank. Quietly, she muttered, “I almost died, and that’s all you have to say? You didn’t cry when mother died, either. Do you care about anyone but yourself?”

His brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”

“As you wish, father,” she said, louder. Bowing dramatically, she whirled on her heel and left.