My heart twisted, but I kept my face calm.

“You’re safe with us,” I said.

Ryker looked at the children, his expression hardening.

The coldness in his eyes was something I had seen only once before, during the negotiation in Detroit.

“Can you copy the files, Marco?” Ryker asked.

“I’m uploading them to our secure cloud server now,” Marco said. “But the connection is slow on the backup generator.”

“Speed it up,” Ryker said.

A sudden vibration shook the floor.

It was followed by a dull, heavy concussive thump from the floor above us.

“Breach,” Ryker said.

“They’re in the main house,” Marco said, looking up from the screen.

“How many?” Ryker asked.

Marco tapped a key, bringing up the external security feed.

Most of the cameras were black, but one thermal camera on the north patio was still operational.

Four distinct orange silhouettes were moving through the glass doors of the conservatory.

They carried short-barreled rifles and moved in a tight, professional wedge formation.

“These aren’t local thugs,” Marco said. “They’re moving like military.”

“Eleanor hired professionals,” Ryker said.

“The upload is at sixty percent,” Marco said.