Chapter 27:
The cold wind swept through the pine trees.
Emily stood frozen, clutching the ransom note so tightly it crumpled in her hand.
One hard drive.
One girl.
One choice.
Her legs felt weak.
“Lily…”
Zach gently took the note from her hand.
“We’re going to bring her home.”
Emily shook her head.
“He’ll kill her if we don’t do exactly what he says.”
“And he’ll kill her if we do,” Zach replied quietly. “People like him don’t leave witnesses.”
Emily looked at him, knowing he was right.
⸻
Back inside the cabin, the atmosphere was tense.
The encrypted hard drive lay on the table.
It suddenly felt heavier than ever.
Ethan broke the silence.
“We need to know where Lily is.”
Eleanor nodded.
“The message had to come from somewhere.”
Ethan connected his laptop to the cabin’s
