“You know, I’m getting kind of tired of hearing that excuse tossed around,” she snapped, and I couldn’t blame her for her anger, even though it stung. I’d had nothing to do with Hadley being taken. “There are ways around most orders. You’ve all shown me that.”

“Unfortunately, she’s right,” Cavazos said. “And beyond that, people can’t be made to do anything if they never commit to a binding in the first place. So there’s plenty of blame to go around.” He blinked, obviously dismissing the topic entirely, then glanced at each of us. “What else do you know? Where is this project being run? Where are they housing the blood donors? Are they all involuntary, or are people actually willingly selling their blood?”

“Surely not…” Anne said, clearly horrified by the idea, but Liv only shrugged.

“I assume it pays slightly better than donating plasma….”

“But the risk! Having your blood on file…” Anne actually shuddered at the thought. “Tower could bind you, or find you at will. No amount of money is worth that kind of risk.”

“Money is a very powerful motivator,” Cavazos said. “Almost as effective as fear…”

I chose not to comment on that.

“Look…” I ran one hand through my hair, fighting exhaustion and drowning in frustration. “I don’t know anything about the blood-transfusion project. I didn’t even know Tower was involved in it until Kori told us, so I’m no help to you there. But I can track Hadley. In fact, I can probably track her better now that we have her entire real name.”

Cavazos, presumably, would be willing to reveal the middle name he’d given her, if it would help us find her.

“But once we get there, I’ll be largely useless. I can’t fight against the Tower syndicate any more than your men can fight your organization,” I said, holding Cavazos’s gaze pointedly. “We’re going to need your men and your weapons for that. And we’re going to need them fast.” I lifted both brows at him in challenge when he scowled at me. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“My men will be the solution, not the problem. You find her, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Good. Once I’ve found her, we’ll call you with an address, and you can trot out your toy soldiers.”

“Fine.” Cavazos pulled his phone from his pocket and tossed it to Liv. “Program your new number. I assume you remember mine?”

“You really have to stop assuming things….” She hesitated for a moment, obviously reluctant, then dug out her own new phone and tossed it to him. While they exchanged numbers, I pulled Anne aside.

“I don’t trust him,” I whispered, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge, just to look busy. “How’s he rating on the truth meter?”

She shrugged. “He hasn’t outright lied yet.” Which meant he was telling the truth about Van’s underage binding—not that that absolved him of anything. “But I don’t trust him, either.”

“Good. I need you to stay with him while Liv and I Track Hadley. Text me if he says anything that doesn’t ring true.”

“No.” She shook her head vehemently while I stuffed the water into the bag Liv had packed for me. “I am not staying here alone with him. Take me and leave Liv here redCavazos.”

“You saw what he did to her! I’m never leaving her alone with him again.” I zipped the bag and dropped it into a chair at the table.

Her eyes widened. “But you’re willing to leave me with him? Don’t you think it’d be easier for him to just kill me now, rather than fight me for Hadley?”

I coughed to disguise the half smile I couldn’t quite hide. “Anne, he doesn’t need to kill you to get custody of Hadley, legally or otherwise—a single DNA test will prove he’s her father and the courts will give her to him if he wants her.” She started to argue, and this time I spoke over her. “And before you say he’ll never submit to a test, it’s done through a cheek swab—no blood involved.”

And that was assuming he even bothered with the courts, but I wasn’t going to scare her any worse by admitting he’d probably just take Hadley the minute we found her. “But my point is that he’s not going to hurt you. And you can have my gun, just in case.”

But Anne only crossed her arms over her chest, digging in for the long haul. “I’m not staying alone with him. Liv can handle herself, Cam. She’s survived him for the past year and a half, all on her own. She’ll be fine. I’m coming with you.”

I started to argue again, but this time Liv cut me off, and I realized she’d heard at least the last part of our discussion. “Take her. I’ll be fine here.”

“Liv…” I began, but she cut me off with a look.

“You’re wasting time. Hadley’s time,” she pointed out, as Anne shoved my bag into my arms. “You’ll have to take my car back to your apartment.” Because I couldn’t drive hers through enemy territory. But then she really would be stuck there with Cavazos.

“Fine.” But he watched me over her shoulder, hands in the pockets of his suit pants, as petty and obviously satisfied as the cat who ate a whole fucking nest of canaries.

I pulled Liv toward the door with me, whispering on the way, trying not to see how swollen and blue her left cheek was. “Don’t drink with him. And don’t let him out of your sight, even to go to the bathroom. And call me if he—”