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“Aimee is like family to me. Like a niece. I can imagine how terrified she is because I was once that little girl.”

“Why do you think we have her?” he asked, still not showing any emotion.

“Because she’s a prodigy. You people have a tendency to use children with brains. My mom was one of those kids, remember?”

Grandpa had ensured he used his daughter’s exceptional memory and mathematical abilities to benefit The Triad.

“Your mom wasn’t mistreated,” he said. “She’s the daughter of King Viper. No one would dare hurt her.”

“And she died, remember?” I reminded him. “Abuse comes in many forms, Calvin. Sometimes, the worst scars are invisible.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it.

“I haven’t heard about any children being used for anything.” But something flickered in his eyes.

Had I been wrong to suspect The Triad?

“Can you ask around and let me know?” I looked at him. “Please?”

A smirk slid onto his face. “Is this a business negotiation, Vivian?”

This conversation was transpiring into something I didn’t know how to navigate. I didn’t want to do business with The Triad.

But this is your only chance.

“It could be. What’s your price?”

He crossed his arms. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“Your ability to comply.”

What the hell?

Caution flared as I tried to figure out what he wanted. Something wasn’t right.

You’re talking to a triad member, Vivian. It’s not supposed to be right.

I stared at him, weighing the pros and cons of this negotiation. Could I trust him? No, but Ineededhim. A little girl needed me. He knew something. He had to, which was why he was being cryptic. I needed any clue he could give me.

Even if The Taipans hadn’t taken Aimee, he could find out who had her. Surely they had connections within underground society. Money and power could buy information. Calvin was my key to Aimee.

I crossed my legs, trying my best not to look disturbed about making a negotiation with a Triad member. “Okay, but I have some criteria.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“I’m not committing any crimes. I’m not hurting anyone, and I’m not going against my morals.”

“Morals.” A laugh bubbled out of him as though he’d never heard of such a word. “Fine.”

“We have a deal.” I extended my hand out to him for a shake.

Calvin held my hand for too long. For a moment, I wondered if we could’ve been good friends if circumstances had been different. He dwelled in a dark world that I was familiar with. How could anyone survive in a world with that much violence, pain, and sorrow?

“I’ll be in touch,” he said.

Despite my deal with Calvin, I had a backup plan. A man known as The Tip at an underground club could get me information—for a price. The problem was that I didn’t belong to the Midnight Chaoss club and needed a creative way to get in.