The front door closed with a heavy, echoing thud that shook the windows.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Are they gone?” Lucas whispered, looking up at me.

“Yes, sweetie,” I said, kissing his forehead. “They’re gone.”

Alexander came over to the sofa and knelt in front of us.

He took my hand, and then he put his hands on the boys’ shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“We’re okay,” I said. “But she isn’t going to stop, Alexander.”

“Neither am I,” he said.

He looked at the boys, his eyes softening.

“I need you three to stay somewhere safe tonight,” he said. “Not here. Not at your apartment.”

“Where?” I asked.

“I have a secure apartment in Midtown,” he said. “No one knows about it except Margaret. It’s leased under a corporate alias.”

He stood up and pulled his car keys from his pocket.

“I’ll drive you there myself,” he said. “Then I have to prepare for the morning.”

***

The Midtown apartment was modern, clean, and silent.

The boys fell asleep quickly on the large plush bed in the guest room, exhausted from the tension of the night.