Charles wiped blood from his forehead.

“She’s right.”

Daniel turned sharply.

“I don’t remember asking you.”

“No. You never do when you’re angry.”

Charles stepped closer.

“And somebody knows that.”

The words struck harder than Daniel wanted to admit.

Someone had predicted him perfectly.

His anger.

His suspicion.

His instinct to protect his children before asking questions.

Someone knew exactly which emotional buttons to push.

Marcus moved toward the monitors.

“We have forty-nine minutes until midnight.”

Daniel looked at Evelyn’s necklace.

The tiny brass key rested against her skin.

“Give it to me.”

Evelyn covered it instinctively.

“No.”

“Evelyn.”

“Rebecca gave this to me.”

“And somebody kidnapped my daughter for it.”

“That means giving it to them may be the worst possible thing we can do.”

Daniel stepped closer.

For several seconds, husband and wife stared at each other.

There were too many wounds between them now.

Seven years of secrets.

Rebecca.

A marriage that had begun partly because Evelyn believed she had to protect Sophie.

Daniel didn’t know whether to feel betrayed or grateful.

There wasn’t time to decide.

Sophie suddenly spoke.

“Daddy?”

Daniel turned.

She stood beside the security desk, staring at the photograph.

“What?”

“That man.”

Richard Cross.

“What about him?”

Sophie approached slowly.

“I saw him before.”

Every adult in the room froze.

Daniel crouched.

“When?”

“At school.”

Evelyn’s face changed.

“What?”

“Two weeks ago.”

Sophie pointed at Richard’s face.

“He was standing across the street when Mrs. Collins picked us up.”

Daniel felt the floor disappear beneath him.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sophie looked confused.

“Because I didn’t know him.”

Of course.

Richard had supposedly died two years before Sophie was born.

She had never met her grandfather.

“Did he speak to you?”

“No.”

“Did he come close?”

Sophie shook her head.

“He just watched me.”

Daniel stood.

Marcus was already moving.

“I’ll pull the school security footage.”

Charles whispered something under his breath.

Daniel heard it.

“What?”

Charles looked at him.

“I said this started before tonight.”

Daniel stared.

Charles continued.

“If Sophie saw him two weeks ago, tonight wasn’t improvised.”

Marcus typed rapidly.

“This was planned.”

Evelyn’s voice became quiet.

“Maybe for years.”

The phone vibrated again.

A video appeared.

Daniel pressed play.

Lily lay inside a white crib.

She was awake now.

Her tiny hands moved beneath a pink blanket.

Someone stood beside her.

Only an arm appeared on camera.

Black sleeve.

Black glove.

Then the camera turned.

A concrete wall appeared.

On it was painted a faded red number.

17.

The distorted voice returned.

“Forty minutes, Daniel.”

The screen went black.

Marcus immediately froze the final frame.

“Industrial building.”