I managed to nod once.

I reached down and gripped the strap of my bag, where Lily’s pacifier was tucked into the side pocket.

I needed to get back to her.

I needed to hold her and know she was safe from this family.

“We are leaving,” Nathan said to his father.

He reached down and picked up his phone.

The screen flashed again, showing an incoming call from a number I did not recognize.

It had a Washington, D.C. area code.

Richard saw the screen.

He lunged forward, his hand clawing at the phone.

“Give me that,” Richard gasped.

Nathan stepped back smoothly, putting his shoulder between his father and the device.

“It is over, Richard,” Nathan said.

“The board is already voting.”

The speakerphone beeped twice, signaling that the conference line was being terminated from the host side.

Immediately after, the phone in Nathan’s hand began to ring.

It was Mr. Hayes.

Nathan answered it and placed it to his ear.

“Hayes,” Nathan said.

He listened for three seconds.

His eyes widened slightly.

He looked at his father, then at the security guards.