It was an incoming local connection, routed from a handheld device within the house.

Nathan stood up and walked back to the desk, his brow furrowing.

The caller ID showed Vanessa’s personal cell phone.

He hesitated for a second, then pressed the button to accept the audio stream.

“Nathan,” Vanessa’s voice came through, but she was no longer screaming.

Her voice was low, cold, and entirely devoid of the panic she had shown a moment ago.

“You think you have won,” she said.

“But you forgot about the utility override in the master bedroom.”

“Julian is already there,” she whispered.

Nathan’s face went completely white.

He lunged forward, his hands slamming onto the desk as he stared at the security layout on the screen.

A tiny yellow light was blinking in the master suite, deep within the private wing of the house.

“The manual gas valves,” Nathan whispered, his voice barely audible.

“She has access to the backup generators.”

“We don’t need to leave, Nathan,” Vanessa’s voice said, sounding horribly calm.

“If we are going down, we are taking this entire place with us.”