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“They were on the fourth floor,” Norman muttered quietly.
Rowan opened his mouth to respond, but then his gaze fell on me. Shock flared in his eyes, and he turned until he was facing me completely. Confusion slithered through me. He was acting like he knew me when I’d never seen the man in my life. Zan suddenly stepped in front of me, blocking me from Rowan’s view.
“You took her from Project Hope?” Rowan hissed furiously, whipping his head toward Norman. “You let this happen?”
“No,” Norman sputtered out. “She’s not the one in Project Hope. She’s the other one.”
Zan went rigid, staying in front of me. Amaros was watching Norman and Rowan, annoyance growing on his face.
“What other one?” Amaros murmured, his voice lethal.
“If that’s the case, then why is she here?” Rowan asked, looking at Amaros. “Twenty-five years ago, we shook on it. You take one, and we take one. Then we throw away the key. Why the fuck is she walking free?”
My heart stuttered as panic flooded me. I didn’t have a chance to do anything before Amaros snagged my arm, pulling me away from Zan. I cried out when he pushed me forward until I was in front of Rowan and Norman. He kept a firm grip on my upper arm, keeping me next to him.
“Dad—”
“Not now, Zan.” Amaros cut him off sharply. “Now, tell me why the hell you think she’s the other one, Rowan.”
Rowan stared at Amaros for a moment before a laugh erupted out of him. “You don’t know, do you? She’s been right under your nose, and you had no idea. There was a rumor that you lost her as a baby. I guess that was true, wasn’t it?”
Amaros’s free arm lashed out, and he got a hold of Rowan’s throat. “Don’t fuck with me.”
Instantly, Rowan pulled out a stake, pressing it to Amaros’s chest. The men around us raised their guns, the tension exploding as I tried unsuccessfully to pull out of Amaros’s hold. A body pressed up against my back, and I looked over my shoulder to see Zan. He didn’t help me escape his father’s grip, but he put his hand on my hip, staying right behind me.
“Let’s take a breath,” Rowan gritted out, slowly pulling the stake from Amaros. “Neither of us wants to ruin this arrangement. We can discuss this rationally.”
“Tell me who you think she is,” Amaros growled, his hand staying on Rowan’s neck.
“You already know,” Rowan shot back. “And I don’t think—I’m sure of it. Because we have the other one. They’re identical.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. I snuck a look past Rowan and Norman, spotting Warner. He was still on his knees, a gun to the back of his head. He shot me a look of confusion before Amaros gripped my hair, forcing me to look at him.
“How old are you?” His voice was fucking terrifying. If I said one thing he didn’t like, I was sure he’d kill me right here. “When is your birthday?”
I held my breath, not saying a word. Amaros let out a snarl, looking behind me to Zan. My head began to ache from how tightly he was gripping my hair, and I stayed absolutely still, trying to figure out what they were talking about.
“What happened in Project Hope?” Amaros asked Zan.
“Nothing,” Zan said, his voice steady. “We thought Kali was there. We found Warner instead. Then Norman showed up.”
“They saw her,” Norman nearly shouted. “He forced me to the fourth floor, and he thought it was Kali.”
“Is that true?” Amaros looked at Zan, anger growing on his face.
“Yes.” Zan’s answer was nothing more than a whisper, but since he was right behind me, I heard it clearly.
“This makes no sense,” Amaros growled, facing Rowan again. “Kali lived in Project Hope her entire life. You would have known if it was her.”
I bit my tongue hard to keep from speaking. I wasn’t part of this. Whoever they thought I was—I absolutely was not.
Rowan chuckled. “You think we keep her in one place? She just got to Project Hope less than a month ago. Norman wasn’t aware of what she looked like until after Kali had fled.”
“That would explain why you humans haven’t dropped the search for her.” Amaros tilted my head back farther, meeting my eyes. “I knew there was something about you.”
“What are you talking about?” I hissed, my breath catching when he let go of my hair and stroked my face. Disgust rolled through me, and he caught my chin when I attempted to turn away.
“You lied to me about your age,” he continued, as if I hadn’t spoken. He didn’t bring up the fact that Zan was the one who’d lied first.
