The Hunter made Amari, Sasha, and Ryan go back to base. That was probably for the best considering I immediately broke my promise to the Hunter.

"This isn't my apartment," the man tells me.

"I know," I tell him, pulling the ladder down. "I'll take you there right after this. I've got some friends that will be willing to help you." I probably shouldn't tell him that before I've even asked Tae and Tomas, but I can't imagine Tae turning him away. Especially after I tell her what I think is going on.

The man hesitates as I start to climb, but, eventually, he joins me on the ladder.

I push the window open when I reach it and poke my head in. "Tae? Tomas?"

For a moment, there's nothing but silence.

Then, Tomas appears from behind the curtain, holding a metal bat, in nothing but his underwear. His expression darkens when he sees me. "Did you forget something?"

I drag the man through the window and turn to face Tomas, who looks even more pissed than before.

"Tomas?" Tae asks, peeking out from behind the curtain. Her eyes widen when she sees me. "Mason? Who's this?"

"This is-." I stop myself, turning to face the man. "Uh... I didn't get your name."

"For the love of-." Tomas buries his face in his hand.

"Dion," says the man, eyeing Tomas's bat like he wants the weapon for himself.

"This is Dion," I offer, turning back to Tae and Tomas. "I know this isn't ideal, but I didn't know when I'd get to come back and I need your help."

"Shocking," Tomas snaps.

"Tomas," Tae berates. She steps past him and her expression softens. "What happened?"

I explain everything that happened in the transportation center.

Tae prepares a cup of hot chocolate while I talk, then offers it to Dion. "So, your daughter, Daisy, was it?"

He nods, staring forlornly into his hot chocolate.

"How long ago was she supposed to come home?"

"Three weeks now," he whispers, running his finger around the rim of his cup. "Three weeks."

"Why did it take you this long to do something about it?" Tomas snarls.

Dion lifts his eyes to Tomas's. "I had to get a gun."

I put my hand out. "Can you wait here, Dion? I need to discuss something with my friends for a moment."

"About my Daisy?"

"No," I assure. "I'll let you know everything that pertains to her."

He nods and settles back into his seat with his cocoa.

Tae guides me back towards their curtained off room.

We have to talk low. Even without enhanced senses, the apartment isn't big, Dion could hear us.

"I didn't recognize the girl. I don't think she was in the sewers. But there were Hunters that took her. Maybe this has something to do with Singh."

"We have no proof of that," Tomas reminds.

"But it's not like it's an outlandish theory," I defend. "Something is going on and our plans are going to take too long. If she's rounding people up, if she is the reason those people were infected, we can't sit by and do nothing."

"We hear you," Tae assures. "But what would you have us do, Mason? She's the Headmistress and we're barely back in her good graces. We can't risk losing our titles."

"No, I'll do it."

"Do what? What are you even planning, Mason? We can't read your mind."

"I can read your mind and even I don't like where this is going," Augustus murmurs.

I shoo them to the back of my brain and meet Tomas's gaze. "I want to tap Singh's phone. I need to know how far this corruption goes. That security guard knew something about Daisy being taken. They had to have been helping Singh. Or-or something. That's the problem. I don't know anything that's going on and I can't risk making moves until I do know. We need information."

Tae licks her lips and winces at me. "Mason, that's not going to be easy. I scan for bugs every few hours and I'm not even in a position of power. Singh will be ten times as paranoid."

"Not to mention, you can't go back to the island right now. She released you for duty because she wants you gone."

"I can't let anyone else do this. If anyone's going to take the fall, it's going to be me."

"What about Tarak?" Tae posits.

My spine straightens and all my muscles tense. "Not an option."

"Why?"

"I don't trust him."

"Even more of a reason to let him take the fall," she insists. "Mason, if you want information, you're going to have to make sacrifices. If you really don't care about Tarak anymore, use him."

My throat starts to close and I look down at my feet, trying to come up with an excuse. "And what if he tells Singh what I'm planning? I won't risk it. Maybe someone I trust can smuggle me onto the island and I can-."

"Mason," Tae hisses, stepping closer. "I get it, okay? He hurt you and you feel like you can't trust him. But deep down, we all know you do still trust him. Tarak is our best shot at tapping her phone. He's her son. He may be the only one capable of getting that close. You want to put an end to this, don't you?"

"Not if it means sacrificing people."

"She won't strip him of his title. She would bring shame on her own family. She would lose her own status. He's the only one that can do this and I know you trust him to do it."

"No, I-."

"Tae is right," Tomas argues.

"You only think that because-."

"Because she's right," he snarls. He seizes my arm and ducks his head a bit so I have to meet his gaze. "Who else has opportunity and can get away scot-free?"

"Just because she won't publicly punish him doesn't mean he'll get away scot-free," I rasp. I know every fight Tarak has been in. I've seen the wounds he never has an explanation for. "If it were Tae, would you be saying this?" And I hate what I'm admitting with the question.

Tomas drops his gaze for a few long moments, taking shallow breaths.

Tae watches him.

"She's her own person," he says, his voice wavering. "And she has the strongest morals of anyone I know. If she knew this was what we needed to help people, she would want to help. I wouldn't take that choice from her. You have to at least ask him, Mason. Otherwise, you have to look into Dion's eyes, and a dozen other people that you've promised to help, and you have to tell them you lied."

Tae rests a hand on Tomas's shoulder and squeezes, trying not to smile for my sake. "I've got contacts that might be able to help us," she says. "Instead of tapping her phone, we can clone it so whenever she gets call, texts, emails, whatever; we get them too. There's no guarantee it'll work, but it's our best shot and Tarak will be less likely to get caught. All he'll have to do is get our device close to her phone."

"I haven't even said I'm going to involve him," I growl.

Tae gives me a pointed look. "Tomas doesn't do speeches very often. I know you heard him. We're not going to force you. But this was your plan and you know he's our only hope of making it work."

I hate that she's right. I hate that he's her son and to protect other people, I have to put him on the line. But Tomas is right. He deserves to make the choice for himself, without my interference. "I should get Dion home before a patrol is sent out looking for me."

Tae and Tomas share a look. They know what I've decided.

"Let me know when your contacts are ready," I whisper.

Tae grabs my shoulder, so they're both gripping me. "You're making the right choice."

If only it felt that way.