One by one, the other camera feeds across the mansion began to flicker and die.

“Nathan,” I said, my voice dropping. “What is that?”

He opened his eyes and stared at the darkening screens.

The green satellite icon on the network status bar suddenly turned a solid, dead gray.

The word *DISCONNECTED* flashed in red.

The heavy steel shutters remained down, but the soft hum of the nursery’s air filtration system abruptly stopped.

The silence in the room became absolute, save for the wind outside.

Then, the main console on the desk let out a single, loud chime.

A new window opened on the screen, bypassing all of Claire’s security protocols.

It was a live video feed, but it wasn’t from inside the house.

It was a view of the dark, snow-covered driveway at the front gates of the estate.

Through the swirling white flakes, the headlights of three large, dark SUVs appeared, moving slowly up the winding mountain road.

But they weren’t turning on their sirens.

Nathan leaned closer to the monitor, his hand trembling as he reached for the keyboard.