That was a damn good question. Adare had been too busy with his fangs in her thigh to question her; apparently he shouldn’t have been satisfied with her explanation of why she couldn’t heal herself. “I’m not easy to fool,” he muttered.

“No shit. You can detect a lie a mile away,” Benny agreed. “If she lied, she must be good at it.”

Anger spiraled through Adare so quickly his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “There’s no way Grace is a good liar.”

“I guess we’re about to find out.” Benny looked down at his phone. “Chalton and the Realm computer experts are trying to catch her trail again with traffic cameras and other surveillance, and they’re looking at downtown Denver as well as the neighborhood where she used to live.”

Adare swallowed. “She’s been gone for nearly twenty-four hours, Benny.”

Ben sobered. “I know.”

“If we’re looking for her, so are the Kurjans.” It was too much to hope that the Kurjans had just given up after the fight the other day. They probably had a satellite feed searching the state of Colorado at that very moment. Adare took the next exit. “Give me directions.”

Benny read off the route to Grace’s former apartment.

Adare banished emotion, letting his brain take over. The only feasible explanation was that Grace had chosen to drive to Denver, chosen to lie to him, and chosen to put herself and the entire Seven in danger of exposure. He exhaled slowly, shackling the beast at his core that wanted loose.

Nice subdivisions slowly swallowed them on both sides until he parked in front of a brick building covered with snow. They were looking for Unit L.

“There it is,” Benny said.

Adare stepped out and made sure none of Gilbert’s blood remained on his clothing. The dork had seemed happy with the two grand they’d given him, once Adare had added his money to Benny’s, so hopefully he wouldn’t go to the authorities. No blood. Good.

He strode across a shoveled path being warmed by the sun and knocked on the door.

A woman answered, looking way up; she held a cute blond girl in her arms. She took a step back, her terror apparent.

He stepped away and shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look casual and unthreatening. “Hi. I’m so sorry to bother you, but I’m looking for my friend. Her name is Grace, and she used to live here.”

The woman’s gaze went behind him to Benny, and she turned even paler.