This was only the first step on a very long road to healing, but it was a real step.

My phone vibrated in my coat pocket, breaking the quiet moment.

I stepped back into the hallway and pulled it out.

It was a message from Marcus Vale, the head of private security.

“Elena, we have a problem at the office,” the text read.

My heart sank.

I dialed his number immediately, my fingers cold against the glass screen.

“Marcus, what is it?” I asked when he answered.

“Someone just cleared out the main server room at the headquarters,” Marcus said, his voice urgent.

“All the original backup drives of Claire’s files are gone.”

“Who had access to that room?” I asked, my grip tightening on the phone.

“Only three people,” Marcus replied.

“And one of them just boarded a private flight out of Aspen,” he said.

I stood in the sterile hallway, the distant laughter of the girls behind me fading as a new chill set in.

“Who was it, Marcus?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

The line crackled with static before his voice came through again.