“Grandpa is luring Dad out of the meeting room.” Lucien went completely motionless.

The holding cell was cold.

I sat on the hard bench, my hands still cuffed behind my back, replaying everything in my mind.

Elena's death.

The accident report.

The blood alcohol level that had been "found" in her system.

The way Reynolds had rushed to close the case.

The way Charles had suddenly become so "concerned" about Ava's well-being.

The way Mason and Rebecca had been hovering, always watching, always reporting back to him.

It was all connected.

And it all led back to one thing.

The company.

Hale Industries.

Charles' life's work.

A billion-dollar empire built on construction, real estate, and who knew what else.

Elena had been next in line to take over.

She'd been smart, capable, ruthless when she needed to be.

But she'd also started asking questions.

Questions about the company's finances.

Questions about certain "consulting fees" that went to shell companies.

Questions about a building collapse that had killed three workers, ruled an "unfortunate accident."

She'd told me she was getting close to something.

Something big.

Something that could destroy her father.

Then she was dead.

And now Charles wanted Ava.

Not because he loved her.

Not because he missed his daughter.

But because Ava was the only heir.

With Elena gone and me out of the way, Charles would control the company through Ava until she turned eighteen.

And by then, he'd have covered his tracks completely.

The cell door opened.

My lawyer, Sarah Chen, stepped in.

She looked tired, worried.

"Lucien," she said, sitting across from me. "They're moving fast. The custody hearing is tomorrow morning. Charles has three witnesses ready to testify about your 'violent outburst' today. And he's got the detective's report saying you attacked two people without provocation."

"It was self-defense," I said. "They were going after my daughter."

Sarah nodded. "I know. But the judge won't see it that way without proof. Right now, it's your word against three adults, including a police detective. It doesn't look good."

I leaned forward. "Sarah, Ava heard them. She overheard their plans. She said something about a 'secret room' at Charles' estate. Elena mentioned it once. Charles uses it for private meetings. Ava was there. She heard everything."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "What exactly did she hear?"

"She said 'Grandpa is luring Dad out of the meeting room.' Those were her exact words. She didn't make that up. She heard an adult say it."

"Can she testify?"

"She's four years old, Sarah."

Sarah thought for a moment. "The judge might allow it, but Charles' lawyer will tear her apart. He'll say she's confused, traumatized, easily manipulated. We need more. We need evidence."

I thought about the secret room.

If they'd been meeting there, planning everything...

"There might be evidence in that room," I said. "Documents, recordings, something. Elena was investigating before she died. If she found anything, she might have hidden it there."

"Breaking into Charles' estate would be illegal," Sarah said. "And if we get caught, it's over. You'll lose Ava forever."

"What choice do I have?"

Sarah was quiet for a long moment.

Then she reached into her briefcase and pulled out a set of keys.

"Elena gave these to me three weeks before she died," she said softly. "She said if anything ever happened to her, I should give them to you. She said you'd know what they're for."

I looked at the keys.

One was old, brass, with a strange pattern cut into it.

The other was smaller, silver, with a number stamped on it: 7.

I knew exactly what they were for.

The old brass key fit the hidden door behind the bookshelf in Charles' study.

Elena had shown it to me once, when we were dating, sneaking me into the house after her father had fallen asleep.

And the silver key...

It was for a safe.

A safe inside that secret room.

"Sarah," I said, my heart racing. "I need you to get me out of here tonight."

She shook her head. "Lucien, bail was denied. You're considered a flight risk."

"Then I need you to help me escape."