“How?” I asked, wishing Zoey would cut to the chase.

“They had someone on the inside,” Zoey said. “Several someones, really. Guards go through a rigorous screening process, but…”

I could easily finish that sentence. “But it’s been years and things got lax and they underestimated the power of Dad and Eva.” Lou’s hand clasped the back of my neck in reassurance.

“Yup,” Zoey said, her voice overly chipper. “They took a look at their history, screened bank accounts for bribes, but it was simpler than that. In Angus’s case, he simply won over a few of the guards.”

“You don’t start your own cult of personality without having some serious charisma,” I said flatly.

“Our dad, such a charmer,” Zoey said, sarcasm in every syllable. “And in Eva’s case, a few of the former cult members slipped in through administration. They got jobs as cleaners or cooks—people who don’t come into contact with inmates aren’t scrutinized as heavily.”

She let out a frustrated breath. “They must have been planning this for ages. Those people worked for over a year before they started to train for other positions, eventually transferring into areas where they would encounter Eva. In the end, they were snuck out of the prison by people on the inside.”

My pulse quickened. “If there are people on the inside there, then they likely infiltrated other systems as well.” I stared at Lou, knowing that my eyes had faded to wolf.

Lou didn’t flinch.

I kept the phone to my ear, but directed my words to Lou. “Call Prisha. Tell her someone has to look at every single person who had access to my information at the UTC, my sister’s, the twins’. Anyone who could possibly find out where we moved to or what our new names were.”

Lou nodded, pulling out her phone and ducking out of the room, already dialing.

“If they’ve planned this for years…” Zoey’s voice faded to a whisper. “If they’ve infiltrated UTC’s systems…”

“If they knew everything already”—I swallowed, my throat tight—“they’d already be here.”

“They’ll find something,” Zoey said. “Eventually. You know they will.”

“I know,” I said. My father wouldn’t give up. I’d betrayed him. I’d betrayed his pack. He would need to put me in my place. “Maybe he’ll only come after me—leave you and the twins alone.”

Zoey scoffed. “He’ll come after all of us, Declan. Just to hurt us. Just because he can.” I started to argue but she cut me off. “I better call Ryder back. Make sure that Rory and Tamsin’s foster family really understands that the twins aren’t safe, either.”

“Okay,” I said. “Be careful, Zoey.”

“You too, big brother.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Lou

Our schedule was killing me. Declan’s workday started early with the food truck, then we bounced between the tattoo shop and Family Familiar. Even with my hours reduced and the judicious use of naps, I was exhausted. Declan felt bad, though it wasn’t his fault. But he’d insisted we visit Vanessa and grab coffee at Wicked Brews before heading to the vet clinic for a few hours.