“If the courts see those before we can prove they’re fake, you’ll lose her,” Nathan said, stepping inside.

“I have a secure place where we can go, but we have to move before his mother realizes what’s missing.”

My phone buzzed in my hand, the screen lighting up with an unknown number.

I slid my thumb across the glass to answer it, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“Emily?” a woman’s voice said, sounding frantic and breathless over the static.

“It’s Vanessa. You need to get out of there right now.”

I held the phone to my ear, staring at the closed elevator doors as we began to descend.

“Vanessa?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

“Grant didn’t just target you,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“He has people watching the hotel, and they aren’t the police.”

The elevator lights flickered once, and then the car came to a sudden, jarring halt between floors.

The emergency lights kicked on, bathing the small metal space in a dull, red glow.

Nathan immediately reached for the control panel, his fingers brushing against mine in the dim light.