“He told me if I didn’t help him, my daughter would never make it home from college.”

The room fell dead silent except for the sound of Vivian’s quiet whimpering.

Tessa looked up at Ryker, her eyes wide.

“We have enough for a warrant,” Tessa whispered. “But we need her to sign the formal affidavit.”

“We need her signature, Ryker. Otherwise, it’s just hearsay in a custody court.”

Ryker nodded slowly.

“Marco,” Ryker said. “Do you have the digital tablet with Tessa’s prepared draft?”

“I have it,” Marco replied. “I’m pulling up the signature app now.”

We heard the rustle of papers and the soft hum of Marco’s tablet through the speaker.

“Vivian,” Marco said gently. “I need you to sign this. It’s the only way to protect the kids, and the only way we can legally go after Gideon.”

“I’ll sign it,” Vivian said, her voice trembling. “I’ll sign anything. Just please, save my daughter.”

“My men are already tracking her location in Wisconsin,” Ryker said. “She will be safe.”

Through the phone, we heard the faint squeak of a digital stylus sliding across a screen.