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“Rowan isn’t involved.”

“The Snake isalwaysinvolved, which means Rowan is, too.”

I hate that he’s right, but I can’t tell him about Key’s contact; it would be betraying Rowan’s trust, and I can’t do that. If I ever get out of here, I need him to know that I never betrayed his trust.

Instead, I switch tactics. “What will Tanya think? Or Elsie and Anna? Do they know what you’re doing?”

His face hardens, his large frame looming over me. Fury blazes in his eyes and I know I’ve struck a nerve. Good.

“I’m protecting their futures in a way the OCU never could,” he says.

I snort and his face shifts, a cruel curl of his lips.

“Everyone in this city is dirty, Alex. I mean, you’re sleeping with the fucking Head of The Snake. So, don’t sit here and pretend to be a saint. You’re no better than me.”

Maybe he’s right, I don’t get to stand on a pedestal here, but I’m not the one who kidnapped his best friend or lied to them for months.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Kane,” I whisper.

He sucks in a breath, his shoulders rising and falling. “I wish you did, because now you’ve just made it a lot more difficult for the both of us.”

His words hang heavy in the air as he turns to leave. My eyes dart around the room, searching for something—anything—that could be a weapon. But it’s just me, a lightbulb and a chair.

“Wait, Kane,” I call after him, desperation bleeding into my voice.

He pauses at the door, his back to me. “I’m sorry, Alex,” he says.

And then he’s gone, the door shutting with a hollow thud, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence.

***

My head lolls to the side and I jolt awake. Cold sinks deep into my skin, gnawing at my bones, making every muscle ache. My arms scream from the cramping, bound too long behind me with the biting grip of hemp rope.

Goosebumps pepper my skin, and my breath mists faintly in the frigid air. Streams of weak silver light creep through the grimy curtains drawn over the windows. Daylight. Somehow, it’s already the next day.

My stomach drops.

I missed the meeting with Key’s contact. Rowan will think I used him to get Halle’s case dismissed and ran. He’ll probably tear through the streets looking for me and the first place he’ll go to is Halle’s. My stomach drops. There’s no telling what The Snake could do to her.

Shit, shit, shit.

I need to get the hell out of here. I need to get to Halle—to Rowan.

Panic tightens my throat. “Hey!” I shout weakly. “Kane!”

I wait, but no answer comes. Exhaustion threatens to pull me under once more and as hard as I try to resist, I drift away again.

I’m not sure how long I sleep for, but the sound of a door creaking open pulls me back. I keep my eyes shut, listening to the sound of footsteps, more than one pair, entering the room.

“Is he asleep?” a voice asks, sharp and familiar. “Wake him up.”

A violent yank sends a jolt of pain through my shoulders. My restraints tugging at bruised, bloodied skin. I groan, agony tearing through me, but when I open my eyes, the pain dissipates and only shock remains.

No. This can’t be real.

Brown eyes meet mine, and a smile twists the kind face I’ve trusted for years into something unrecognizable.

Chief Rachel Anders stares back at me, seeming to enjoy my reaction.