“I want out,” Logan said. “I can make this go away. I can get Walter to back down.”

Jake leaned against the kitchen counter, his thumb tracing the edge of the wooden cutting board.

“How?” Jake asked.

“I have the signed deed transfer for your house,” Logan said, the words tumbling out of him. “It’s sitting in my safe at the development office right now. It hasn’t been filed with the county yet because of the holiday delay.”

I held my breath, looking at Jake’s profile in the dim light of the kitchen.

“Go on,” Jake said.

“If you destroy that backup security drive—the one you took from the office—I’ll sign the house back over to you,” Logan said. “I’ll destroy the custody petition files on Walter’s computer. I’ll tell them the whole thing was a mistake.”

“And the federal investigation?” Jake asked.

“You call Daniel Reyes,” Logan said, his voice rising in desperation. “You tell him you made a mistake. Tell him the accounts were authorized, that it was a family business arrangement you forgot about.”