The hallway of Thorne Manor had transformed into a tunnel of shifting shadows, illuminated only by the rhythmic, blood red pulse of the emergency lights. Every beat of the alarm felt like a hammer striking my chest. Silas and I moved in a synchronized silence that we hadn't practiced but somehow understood. He held his tactical weapon with a steady, lethal focus that reminded me he wasn't just a businessman he was a man who knew how to hunt. I followed close behind, my fingers trembling as I gripped the small pistol he’d handed me. My palms were slick with sweat, and every creak of the floorboards made me want to scream.
“He’s heading for the nursery,” I whispered. My voice was a jagged thread of sound in the cold air. “He knows that’s the only way to break you, Silas. He doesn't want the
