“The roof is coming down.”

Another groan of twisting metal echoed from above as the snow continued to pile on the remaining glass.

I grabbed Mary’s hand, her fingers cold but holding onto me with desperate strength.

“Where is Paul?” she asked.

Ethan didn’t answer. He just looked toward the dark corner of the warehouse where the laptop had been.

The table was empty, the computer gone.

And the small black drive was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s gone,” Ethan said.

We ran toward the loading dock, the wind pushing us from behind as we stepped out into the freezing night.

The snow was falling so fast we could barely see the police cars parked at the curb.

An officer ran toward us, his coat covered in white.

“Are you okay?” he shouted over the wind.

“We need an ambulance,” Ethan said, his arm still wrapped around Lauren.

“My daughter is freezing.”

The officer nodded and gestured toward his cruiser, the heater blowing warm air through the open door.

We climbed in, the warmth of the car hitting us like a wave as the door closed, shutting out the roar of the wind.