Max reversed out of the driveway and pulled out onto the road before answering. “She won’t. She’s not stupid, and interfering in police business could jeopardise her position with the council.”
“Then why tell her?”
“Because I wanted her to make the offer that she did.”
Ooh. “You’re going to put Zane’s half-sister in protective custody.”
“That’s the plan. I think Yates is using them to blackmail Zane into keeping quiet. That’s why it doesn’t matter to him that Tombs is dead. If I take Larissa out of the equation, then Zane has nothing to fear by telling us everything he knows. And then hopefully we can get enough evidence to convince the human judges to issue permission for us to search Yates’s compound.”
“They won’t take the word of the Fae High Court?” I asked, surprised.
“Nope. Because Yates is human, we have to follow their procedures, and that requires using a human judge. Most of them don’t trust the fae, so saying their word is all we have to go on is as good as saying we have nothing.”
I sat there and took all that in while Max drove us to the station.
“I still don’t understand why Zane didn’t tell you about Yates when we spoke to him, though. You could have gone and picked up Larissa and her family then. Took them somewhere safe.”
“Max shrugged. I don’t know why either. Maybe Yates’s men were with her? Maybe they’re still with her.” He glanced at me as we drove. “We only monitored the ones who left the compound. If they’re already there, then we wouldn’t have seen them.”
“Mmm, I guess it makes sense.” Sort of. “So now what?”
“Now we go talk to Zane.”
* * *
“Zane,”Max greeted him as we walked into the interrogation room and shut the door behind us.
Zane rolled his eyes. “I’ve told you everything I know.” He looked at me. “It’s good to see you again, though, Nick.” He smiled, and I wanted so badly for him to cooperate. “How’s the club doing?”
“Good.” I managed a small smile, but my stomach was in knots.
Max stood and laid out four A4-size photographs on the table in front of Zane. “Take a look at those and tell me what you see.”
“What’s the point? I have nothing to add.”
“Humour me.” Max gestured at the photos.
“Fine, but you’re wasting your—” His whole body went rigid the moment he looked at the photos. “No,” he whispered, eyes wild when he looked up at Max and then me. “What have you done?”
“Nothing… yet,” Max said calmly. “We can have Larissa and her family somewhere safe in under an hour. Give me enough evidence on Yates so I can convince the judge to let us search the Crimson Dagger’s compound.”
Zane sat forward and traced a finger over the photo with a red-bricked house in the background. “He’ll kill them.”
“Not if we get her out of there and take her to Ella’s house.”
Zane’s head snapped up. “You spoke to Ella?”
“I did. She’ll keep Larissa safe, Zane. You know she will.”
He shook his head, gaze pleading. “You don’t understand. He’s already got people there.”
Oh, fuck.
“At Larissa’s house?” I asked.
“Yes. He said he’ll kill them all if he sees anyone coming to the house who looks remotely like the police.” He glared at Max. “If they saw you taking these—”
“No one saw us,” Max said, his tone far softer than the last time we’d been here. “Does she have any non-humans with her?”
