“Don’t trust him, Adrian,” she gasped. “He took Lila.”

The mention of the four-year-old girl made my chest tighten.

Lila was supposed to be a ward of the estate, a child we protected in secret.

“Leave the girl out of this, Caleb,” I said.

Caleb laughed, a dry, hollow sound.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” Caleb said.

He stepped closer, the yellow light of the cellar catching the gray in his hair.

“Lila isn’t just some orphan, Adrian,” Caleb said.

A cold dread began to pool in my stomach.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Nora didn’t hide her to protect her from outsiders,” Caleb said. “She hid her from you.”

He took another step, his eyes drilling into mine.

“Lila is your daughter, Adrian,” Caleb said.

The words hung in the damp air, heavy and impossible.

I stared at him, my mind spinning as seventeen years of absolute trust shattered.

“Your daughter,” Caleb repeated. “And she is the key to everything you own.”

Nora closed her eyes, tears leaking down her bruised cheeks.

“I had to hide her,” Nora whispered. “To keep her safe from him.”

Before I could speak, a strange sound broke the silence of the room.

It was a dull, rhythmic tapping.

*Tap. Tap. Tap.*

It came from behind the old stone partition wall at the back of the cellar.

My eyes flicked to the seam of the wood paneling.

Caleb’s eyes widened slightly, his knuckles turning white on the grip of his gun.

Marcus watched Caleb, his muscles tensed under his tactical vest, waiting for my signal.

The tapping came again, faster this time, desperate.

It was accompanied by a faint, electronic beep that pulsed behind the stone.

Before I could even process the words, Marcus moved.

His tactical vest rustled as he lunged forward, throwing his full weight into Caleb.