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

Sarah's plan was simple.

She'd arranged for a "medical emergency"—a fake allergic reaction that would require me to be transported to the hospital.

She'd paid off an orderly to help me slip away once we got there.

It was risky.

It was desperate.

But it was the only chance I had.

Two hours later, I was in the back of an ambulance, my hands cuffed to the gurney, a fake rash covering my arms and neck.

The paramedic playing along winked at me as we pulled away from the police station.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the hospital.

The orderly was waiting.

He uncuffed me, handed me a set of scrubs and a baseball cap, and pointed toward the service exit.

"Sarah's car is parked out front," he said. "Hurry. You've got about ten minutes before they realize you're gone."

I ran.

I changed in the stairwell, pulled the cap low over my face, and walked out the front doors like I belonged there.

Sarah's car was idling at the curb.

I jumped in.

She hit the gas.

"The estate is forty minutes from here," she said, her eyes on the road. "I called in an anonymous tip about a break-in at the warehouse district. Most of the patrol cars will be headed that way. But Reynolds will figure out what's happening soon. He'll know where you're going."

I nodded, my mind already racing ahead.

Charles' mansion.

The secret room.

The safe.

Elena's evidence.

And Ava.

God, I hoped she was okay.

"I need to get to Ava first," I said. "Before Charles realizes I'm coming."

Sarah shook her head. "Lucien, if you go for Ava now, you'll never get to the evidence. Charles will have guards all over her room. The secret room is in the west wing, away from the bedrooms. That's your best bet. Get the evidence first, then we go for Ava with the police on our side."

She was right.

As much as I wanted to run straight to my daughter, I knew Sarah was right.

Without evidence, Charles would win.

He'd take Ava.

He'd get away with everything.

I couldn't let that happen.

"Okay," I said. "West wing. Secret room behind the bookshelf in the study."

Sarah drove fast, weaving through back streets, avoiding main roads.

My leg bounced up and down, anxiety coiling in my stomach like a snake.

Every minute that passed was another minute Ava was alone with that monster.

Every minute that passed was another minute Charles could destroy the evidence.

We pulled up to the edge of the estate grounds, parking the car in a thick grove of trees that hid it from view.

The mansion loomed ahead, dark and imposing against the night sky.

Most of the lights were off.

But I could see movement in the west wing.

Charles was awake.

He was probably in his study, celebrating his victory.

Thinking he'd won.

"Here," Sarah said, handing me a flashlight and a small can of pepper spray. "The security system code is Elena's birthday. 0715. She told me once, when she was drunk and complaining about how her father never changed anything."

I nodded, memorizing the numbers.

"I'll stay here," Sarah said. "I'll keep watch. If I see anyone coming, I'll call you. But Lucien... be careful. Charles is dangerous. If he's capable of killing his own daughter..."

She didn't need to finish the sentence.

I knew.

I opened the car door.

The night air was cold, sharp with the smell of pine.

I moved quickly through the trees, staying low, sticking to the shadows.

The perimeter fence was easy to climb.

I'd done it a hundred times when I was younger, sneaking in to see Elena.

Some things never changed.

I dropped to the other side and ran toward the house.

The back door was unlocked.

Charles was arrogant.

He thought he was untouchable.

He thought I was in a jail cell, helpless.

He was wrong.

I slipped inside, the house quiet around me.

The floorboards didn't creak.

I knew every inch of this place.

I moved through the kitchen, down the hallway, toward the study.

A light shone under the door.

Voices.

Charles and someone else.

I pressed my ear against the wood.

"...should have handled it differently," a man's voice said. Hale. "Lucien isn't going to just roll over. He's going to fight."

"Let him fight," Charles said, his voice cold. "He's in jail. He's lost. Tomorrow morning, Ava becomes my ward. The company becomes mine again. Everything goes back to the way it should be."

"And the girl?" Hale asked. "What if she remembers something? What if she talks?"

"She's four years old, Thomas. Who's going to believe her? A child's imagination against a respected businessman and a police detective? Please."

There was a pause.

"And Elena?" Hale asked, his voice lower.

Charles was quiet for a moment.

"Elena made her choice," he said finally. "She chose to dig into things that weren't her business. She chose to threaten everything I built. I gave her every chance to stop. She didn't take it."

My blood ran cold.

He admitted it.

He actually admitted it.

And I was standing right outside the door, hearing every word.

But I needed more than just my testimony.

I needed the evidence in that safe.

I waited until I heard them move toward the other side of the room, their voices fading as they walked toward the fireplace.

Then I turned the doorknob.

Slowly.

Quietly.

The door opened.

The study was dark except for the lamp on Charles' desk.