“Tessa,” he called out to the desk.

Tessa looked up from her legal documents, her eyes wide behind her glasses.

“Bring the secure laptop,” Ryker ordered.

She didn’t ask questions.

She quickly grabbed the black laptop, brought it over to the coffee table, and flipped it open.

The screen cast a bright, blue glow across our faces.

Outside, the gate intercom buzzed again, a long, angry screech that made Owen flinch.

“Mr. Steel,” Marco’s voice came through, more urgent this time. “They are demanding to enter. The deputy says he has an emergency custody order signed by a judge.”

“Tell him to wait,” Ryker growled into his lapel microphone. “Tell him I am consulting my attorney.”

He slid the flash drive into the USB port of the laptop.

The computer clicked, a loading wheel spinning on the screen.

A password prompt popped up immediately.

The encryption screen was black with red text, a high-level security block.

“It’s encrypted,” Tessa said, leaning in and typing rapidly on the keyboard. “This isn’t a standard password. It’s a military-grade partition.”