“I paid her extra to keep the security system updated.”

“She didn’t know it was me.”

“She just thought she had a very generous bank.”

I sat back in the leather chair, my hands trembling in my lap.

The entire structure of my independent life in Michigan had been an illusion.

A safety net built by the man who had broken my heart.

“And now?” I asked. “Why bring us back now if it’s still dangerous?”

“Because Vance was released on medical parole last month,” Damon said.

“And he discovered I had been tracking you.”

“The safe house in Copper Harbor was no longer safe.”

He reached down and touched my shoulder, his hand warm and surprisingly steady.

“Here, I have twenty-four-hour security.”

“I can control the environment.”

“You are safe in this house, Nora.”

I wanted to believe him.

I wanted to believe the thick stone walls of the Gold Coast mansion could keep the world out.

But the look in his eyes told me he was still afraid.

Before I could speak, the landline phone on the desk rang.

The sudden, sharp sound made me jump.