Owen lay beside her, his fingers curled tight around the ear of his grey stuffed bear.

Neither of them stirred.

The cabin was warm from the small wood stove, but the air felt suddenly thin.

“How did he get it?” Ryker asked.

“He stole the master backup from the security office during the late-night shift,” Marco said.

“Where is he now?” Ryker asked.

“In the basement room under the garage,” Marco said.

“Is he talking?” Ryker asked.

“He is,” Marco said.

There was a brief pause on the line, filled only by the hiss of the satellite signal.

“He was terrified,” Marco added. “He did not even wait for me to lock the door.”

Ryker leaned forward, his shadow stretching long across the pine floorboards.

“Who paid him?” Ryker asked.

“Eleanor Vance,” Marco said.

I drew in a quiet breath, my hand finding the cold iron railing of the stove.

“She wanted the bypass codes for the Chicago servers,” Marco explained.

“Why?” Ryker asked.

“She wanted to know where the children’s trust accounts were registered,” Marco said.

“And she wanted to know where you would take them if you left the city.”