He held up his tablet, showing a local news alert that had just popped up.

My eyes scanned the headline, and my breath caught in my throat.

*AMBER ALERT ISSUED FOR MISSING CHICAGO TWINS.*

Below the headline were photos of Lily and Owen.

And below that, a photo of Ryker Steel.

“They’re framing you,” I said, my voice shaking. “They’re calling it an active kidnapping.”

Ryker’s eyes were cold as ice.

“Let them try to take them,” he said.

Suddenly, the lights in the entire mansion flickered once, twice, and then went completely black.

The security monitors on the wall died.

The only light left was the eerie red and blue strobing from the police cars outside, reflecting off the rain-slicked glass.

Then, my phone lit up with a text alert from my firm’s managing partner.

*Tessa, what did you do? The firm’s accounts just got hit with a freeze order. Ryker’s corporate assets are locked down.*

I looked at Ryker.

In the dark room, his phone screen suddenly flashed with an incoming call from an unknown number.

Ryker slid his thumb across the screen.