“She wants the company,” Benjamin whispered.

“She doesn’t care about the girls.”

“She just wants the power.”

“We aren’t giving her either,” Marcus said, his voice cold.

“I’m going to the mill.”

He grabbed his flashlight and moved toward the doorway.

Before he could reach the threshold, the main alarm system of the house began to blare.

A red light flashed on the ceiling, casting a bloody glow over the room.

“What is that?” Pierce asked, drawing his weapon.

“The perimeter gate,” Marcus said, checking his wrist monitor.

“Someone just breached the lower fence.”

“But they didn’t leave.”

“They’re coming up the driveway.”

We all froze, listening to the sound of tires crunching on the frozen gravel outside.

Through the shattered window, the headlights of a heavy vehicle swept across the dark pines.

The car stopped directly in front of the burning garage.

The driver’s side door swung open, and a figure stepped out into the falling snow.

The headlights cut through the swirling snow, painting the pine trees in harsh white stripes.

I gripped the edge of the wooden table, my knuckles turning white.