The screen flashed.

A bright yellow banner appeared across the top of the dashboard.

*Transaction Flagged: High Risk / Potential Fraud.*

*Initiating Security Lockout Protocol.*

“Did it go through?” Chloe asked, leaning forward.

“No,” Reed said. “The funds are frozen. He can’t touch a single dollar.”

“And his screen?” I asked.

“He’s seeing the error message right now,” Reed said.

My phone suddenly buzzed in Harris’s hand.

It wasn’t a text message this time.

The screen lit up with an incoming call from Lucas’s number.

We all stared at the phone.

The vibration rattled against the glass table.

“Don’t answer it,” Arthur said.

“No,” Harris said, looking at Chloe. “She has to answer it. We need him to stay on the line so we can confirm he is still inside the property.”

Chloe looked at me, her eyes filled with panic.

“I can’t,” she said.

“You have to, Chloe,” I said gently. “Just for a few seconds. Keep him occupied.”

She swallowed hard and reached for the phone.

Her finger hovered over the green button.

She tapped it and placed the phone on speaker.