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He doesn’t confirm it, but the flicker in his eyes is answer enough. I glance at Hayden. This drug is causing way more trouble than it’s worth, and we have nothing to do with it.

“You sent the emails,” I say. “You promised Alex you’d get Halle’s case dismissed.”

Kane’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t respond.

I lean forward, letting my voice drop. “Listen, Kane, I don’t care about Haze. I don’t care about why you’re doing this. All I care about is Alex. Let him go, and your family stays safe.”

“I can’t do that,” he says quietly. “Not until we talk.”

“Hmm,” Xander interjects, his voice lazy. “Guess I’ll call Ian. We’ll see how loud your wife screams when she watches a bullet go through your oldest daughter’s skull. Elsie, was it?”

“Don’t you fucking—”

“Don’t what?” I interrupt, my voice sharp. “You’re out of options. Cameras caught you at Alex’s apartment last night. It’sonly a matter of time before I find where you took him. The only reason you’re here is because Alex wouldn’t want me to kill your family—but believe me, he’ll get over it.”

It’s a bluff. It’d take hours to trace Kane’s route last night, but he doesn’t know that. He pales, his hands curling into fists.

“I can’t,” he says, his voice cracking.

“Fine with me,” Xander says. “I don’t really care about Alex or what he thinks, so murdering your family means absolutely nothing to me. I think I’ll call Ian.” He makes a show of pulling out his phone and putting it on loudspeaker as it rings.

Kane looks on nervously, and I know his mind is working, weighing his options. If he’s somewhat of a decent cop, then he must know Xander’s reputation proceeds him.

“Fine!” he says. “Fine! But before I tell you where Alex is, I need you to know something first.”

Xander hangs up, and I wait, my patience razor thin.

“Someone killed Professor Hawthorne for her research,” Kane begins, his voice strained. “A lot of people wanted it—businessmen, The Scarlet Ravens, even members of The Judiciary. After her death, Haze started appearing on the market, and Anders—Chief Rachel Anders—was tasked with finding the source by someone in The Judiciary. They promised her a position in The Judiciary if she delivered.”

“And you? Where do you come into this?” I ask.

Kane sighs quietly, his shoulders sagging. “A few months ago, I was working a case. I got … close to someone I was working with. Anders promised to make it go away if I helped her. We were running out of time, so I roped Alex into it. Figured we could use the extra hands. But Alex is good. He wouldn’t help me do this. I didn’t want him to—” he cuts himself off. “Halle’s case was my way to get him to help me.”

A dry laugh spills out of me.

Oh.

He cheated on his wife.

“That must be the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard,” Hayden deadpans from where he stands.

“You don’t understand—”

“No, I understand perfectly,” I cut in. “You’ve been fucking someone else whilst you have a wife at home. You call The Snake corrupt and yet you run around making dirty deals with The Judiciary. You’re just as bad as us.”

“It only happened a few times.” His eyes flicker. Another lie. It’s a full-blown affair. It’s probably still going on.

But that can’t be all there is.

“This isn’t just about the affair, is it?” Anders offered him something else. A promotion once she left the OCU? Money?

He averts his gaze. “It’s not like that.”

“You and I both know it is exactly like that. Now, where is Alex?” I press.

He takes in a deep breath and looks at me carefully. “Let’s make a deal,” he says.

Xander’s laugh is loud. “I don’t think you’re in a position to make a deal right now.”