A fire was already burning in the hearth, casting a warm orange glow over the leather chairs.

Owen and Lily sat down together on the sofa, their eyes wide as they looked around the room.

Owen clutched his teddy bear even closer, his little fingers digging into its matted fur.

“Is that your friend?” Ryker asked, kneeling in front of the boy.

Owen looked down at the toy and nodded.

“His name is Barnaby,” Owen said. “Mommy gave him to me before she left.”

“She told us to keep him safe,” Lily added.

Ryker’s eyes softened as he looked at the children.

“We will keep him safe,” Ryker said. “And we will keep you safe.”

I sat down at the massive mahogany desk and opened my laptop.

“I need to look at the trust structure again,” I said, typing quickly.

“Voss claims he has legal guardianship under the terms of the trust because Mara is missing.”

“There has to be a clause about successor trustees,” Ryker said, standing up and walking over to the desk.

“If Mara didn’t explicitly name Voss, then his claim is void.”