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Rafe answered instantly. “What do you need?”

“The file.” I said. “I want everything you have.”

“You sure about that? She might not like you knowing.”

Silence.

“I’ll take that chance.”

“Consider it in your inbox.”

Barely a heartbeat later came the unmistakable soft ding. I lifted my hand, hovered over the keyboard. But I hesitated.

She might not like you knowing.

Blood.

Death.

My daughter.

If I’d only known that day I could’ve saved her. I could’ve saved them both. I closed my eyes. Hating myself. And pressed the button.

Her life started spilling through the speakers.

The longer I listened the colder I became.

Her birth in the Order.

Her confinement.

Transfer authorized.

Placement confirmed.

Asset value: one hundred thousand dollars.

My hand tightened hard enough for wood to groan beneath my grip.

One hundred thousand dollars for a human.

One hundred thousand dollars for her.

They sold her.

Like she was a piece of fucking meat.

The file continued reading aloud. Where she was taken with others from the Order. Her attempted escape. Permanent structural damage to her femur and hand. I closed my eyes as rage settled cold beneath my skin. There were others… they hadn’t been so lucky.

Footsteps.

The drag.

I hit the button instantly. The chair squealed against the floor as I rose.

“I’m… I’m ready.” She said quietly from the doorway.

“Good.”