“She told me I would end up in prison if I fought her.”

I felt a sickening wave of anger rise in my throat.

“She lied to you,” I said.

“She lied to both of us.”

“I know that now,” Maren said.

“But the fear doesn’t just go away.”

She reached out and took Noah’s hand as he ran past.

“We have to go,” she said.

“I’ll call you as soon as the results are in Marcus’s hands,” I said.

She nodded once, opened her umbrella, and led the children toward her car.

I watched them pull out of the parking lot until their taillights vanished into the rain.

I drove back to Boston in silence.

The city skyline loomed ahead, shrouded in low clouds.

When I arrived at the office, Marcus was waiting in my inner room.

He looked tired, his tie loosened.

“The audit is underway,” Marcus said, shutting the door.

“But Mercer is being cautious.”

“He retired two years ago and moved his digital archives to an offsite server.”

“Can we get a subpoena?” I asked, sitting behind my desk.