I pressed my palm against the biometric scanner, and the heavy oak door clicked open.

“Lucas? Noah?” I called out, my voice cracking as I stepped into the warm foyer.

The house was quiet, the only sound the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall.

“Mama?”

Lucas’s voice came from the top of the stairs.

I looked up and saw both boys peering through the wooden banisters, their faces pale but curious.

“We’re here, sweetie,” I said, walking quickly up the stairs to meet them.

Noah was holding his brother’s sleeve, his dark eyes wide and analytical.

“The security guard told us to stay in the playroom,” Noah said as I reached the landing and pulled them both into a hug.

“You did exactly the right thing,” I said, burying my face in Lucas’s soft hair. “Everything is fine.”

“We heard a loud noise outside,” Lucas said, pulling back to look at me. “Was it a bad guy?”

“No,” Alexander’s voice came from behind me. “Just a mistake.”

He had come up the stairs quietly, his coat wet from the rain.