Eventually the walkway ended, and we set out on foot. The buildings became smaller, more run-down, and there were fewer lights. Knox tried to take my elbow, and even though I shrugged him off, he stayed close.

When the street ended, I stopped at the crossroad. We had to have walked at least three miles by then, and my feet were throbbing, but I couldn’t give up. “Which way?”

Knox shrugged. “You’re the one leading. You figure it out.”

I tried to imagine a map of the city in my head, but while I could picture the squiggly lines that indicated streets, I had no idea which one we were on. I squinted up at the sign, struggling to recognize the letters, but it was hopeless. I couldn’t do this without Knox’s help.

“Please,” I said tightly. “They could kill him.”

We were alone on the street now, but Knox kept glancing around nervously. I didn’t know why, since he was the one with the gun. “Trust me, okay? We’re not going to let anything happen to Benjy.” He set his hand on my arm, and when I tried to pull away, he tightened his grip. “Do you want to know a secret?”

“No. I want to find Benjy.”

He leaned in closer anyway. “You’re the most important person in the family right now. Daxton and Augusta need you to help undo the damage that Lila caused. Once lockdown is over, they’re going to ask you to make speeches that denounce everything Lila spent the past year building. They can’t do it on their own, and letting the news of Lila’s death become public will only prove that what she was saying was right. They can’t have that. They’re not going to kill Benjy to keep you in line, because as far as they know, he’s the only reason you agreed to go along with this in the first place.”

I dug my nails into my palms. “They can replace me.”

“Not as easily as they want you to think. Your eyes make you special, for one. And being Masked is rare, and it’s never used like this. Not replacing someone completely.” He grimaced, and for a moment I thought I saw a flicker of pain in his eyes. “All going to the Heights will do is risk our lives—mine, yours, and his. Come back to Somerset with me, and you’ll see Benjy again. Celia and I have already arranged it.”

I gaped at him. “What? When? How?”

“Patience.” He nodded to the left. “If you really have to do this, the Heights are that way. I’ll even go with you. But trust me, Kitty—nothing’s going to happen to him.”

“What if it does? What if something happens that you didn’t see coming?”

“Then I’ll hand you a loaded gun and close my eyes,” he said. “You have my word.”

Except I had no idea how much his word was worth. The thought of placing Benjy’s life in his hands made me nauseated, but Knox was right. I had no real plan. Even if Benjy were still in the Heights and did show up at the testing center in the morning, it would be next to impossible to convince him to come with me, let alone find a place to keep him safe.

“By the time you find him, Augusta and Daxton will realize you’re gone,” said Knox, “and they’ll know I’m with you. I won’t be able to protect you anymore.”

Hot tears blurred my vision, and I blinked rapidly. I had a VII and the face of a Hart, but I was still as powerless as I’d been as a III. It wasn’t fair.

“Fine,” I said, turning away from him and walking back the direction we’d come. “If anything happens to him—”

“It won’t.” Knox easily kept up with me, and he pulled his tiny phone from his pocket and pressed a button. “Greg, we need a ride.”

Seconds later, a voice replied, “I’ve got your location. I’ll be there in ten.”

“Got it.” Knox hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket. “And before you ask, no, I won’t tell him to take us to the Heights, and he’s my driver, so he won’t listen to you.”

I scowled. There went plan B.

Instead of dropping us off near the alleyway that led to the tunnel, Knox’s driver brought us straight to the front entrance of Somerset. A dozen guards milled around the sealed gates, and they shined flashlight after flashlight in our eyes. By the time they were finally willing to believe we were who Knox said we were, I was half-blind.

That wasn’t the worst part, though. That came when we walked into the drawing room, where every member of the Hart family had gathered despite the late hour. Celia and Daxton stood together in the middle of the room, both with their arms crossed and identical scowls on their faces. Augusta sat next to Greyson, and they talked quietly with their heads bent together as we entered.

“There you are,” said Celia. “See, Mother? I told you they’d be back soon.”

“You should never have left in the first place,” said Augusta. “We are in the middle of a national security crisis, and you two thought it would be a good night to go out?”

“It was just to a club,” said Knox, sounding much more relaxed than I felt. “Nothing happened.”

“You should both consider yourselves lucky,” said Augusta. “How did you get out?”

“Through the exit, of course,” said Knox.

Augusta narrowed her eyes. “Do not lie to me, Lennox. Guards were posted in the atrium all evening. Not one reported anyone coming or going.”

“That’s because we snuck out the servants’ entrance,” I said. All eyes turned on me. I had no idea if there really was a servants’ entrance, but in a place this size, there had to be.

“Is that so?” said Augusta slowly. She took a step toward me. “And how was it you managed to sneak off the grounds?”

“It’s not that hard, you know. If you’re really that determined to keep everyone locked up, you should do a better job of it.”

Her lips curled into a sneer. “Very well. You are hereby confined to your suite until the end of lockdown. Argue, and I shall extend it until further notice. And you—” She focused on Knox. “If I hear of you dragging her out into the streets at all hours of the night again, I will call off the engagement and have you banished Elsewhere. Do you understand?”

I stepped forward. “It was my idea, and if you punish Knox for it, I swear you’ll never see me again. I escaped once, and I can do it again.”

Augusta and I stared each other down for several seconds. I could see every wrinkle around Augusta’s eyes, and her pupils were so small that they looked like pinpricks. No matter how angry she was, though, I refused to be the reason anyone else was sent Elsewhere.

Daxton cleared his throat. “Er, Mother. Lila. If you will—there’s no need for this. Lila knows what she’s done wrong, and Knox is an adult. If he chose to violate lockdown, that’s his risk to take. But Lila’s back now, see? Still in one piece.”

Augusta took a long, deep breath and finally moved away. I felt Knox’s hand on my back, and when I glanced at him, I saw a strange combination of fear and pride on his face.

“My restrictions for Lila still hold,” said Augusta. “You are to be confined to your room until the end of lockdown.”

I didn’t care what she did to me as long as she didn’t send Knox to his death. “Fine. Want me to go now, or should I stick around for another lecture?”

She waved her hand dismissively. Celia smirked, and Greyson eyed me with his brow furrowed. I didn’t wait to find out what his problem was, and I turned sharply on my heel before storming off.

A guard trailed after us as Knox walked me back to my suite. He said nothing until we reached the door, and when he did, his voice was laced with amusement.

“Impressive,” he said, bending down to brush his lips against my cheek. “No one ever stands up to Augusta and lives.”

I wasn’t entirely sure he was joking. “Yeah, well, guess you were right about how much they need me. See you when she decides my sentence is up.”

I wanted to add something about Benjy, to tell him to take care of him, but the guard moved closer. Instead I gave Knox a small smile and slipped inside Lila’s suite, closing the door behind me.