He was right.

I had moved the children to a hotel in Girona three hours ago, but the server log had still shown the cottage.

He was trying to confirm if they were still there.

“They are exactly where the GPS says they are,” I lied.

“You are a terrible liar when you are scared, Inés,” Alvaro said.

I looked at Lucía.

She had her hands over her mouth, tears spilling over her fingers.

She knew what Alvaro was capable of when he was backed into a corner.

“I am going to hang up now,” I said.

“If you hang up, my men will start looking in Girona,” Alvaro said.

My heart icy, I froze.

How did he know about Girona?

“I have your travel history, Inés,” Alvaro said. “You bought three train tickets from Girona to Paris yesterday.”

He had my credit card records.

Even though I had used a false name, he had traced the transaction back to my old corporate account.

“You think you are so clever,” Alvaro whispered. “But you are still using my money.”

“It is my money too,” I said. “I built that firm.”