"YOU CAME BACK"

The black SUV has been behind us for forty-seven miles.

Same plates. Tinted windows. Always three car lengths back.

"You're sure it's Vanessa?" I ask.

Mason's knuckles are white on the steering wheel. "I recognize the driver. He works for her father."

"Her real father? The truck driver?"

"Her real father is a former military contractor. He runs security for Darius." Mason glances in the rearview. "Vanessa isn't some random girl from Spokane. She's been trained."

"Trained for what?"

"To protect the family. To eliminate threats." His voice drops. "To do whatever needs to be done."

Ethan reaches into the glove compartment.

Metal gleams.

A gun.

"You have a firearm in your car?"

"I have a lot of things in my car." He checks the chamber. "I'm a public figure, Ava. People threaten me daily."

"And you just carry a gun?"

"Only when I'm driving to Idaho to find my secret son." He almost smiles. "So. Today's special."

"This isn't funny."

"I'm not laughing."

The SUV speeds up.

Mason speeds up too.

"Ethan."

"I see it."

"What do we do?"

"We lose them."

"We're on a highway. There's nowhere to go."

"There's always somewhere to go." Ethan turns to Mason. "Next exit. The state park."

"That's a dead end."

"It's a forest. We can hide."

"We're in a silver Mercedes. We're not hiding anywhere."

"Then we fight."

I grab Ethan's arm. "No one is fighting. No one is shooting. No one is dying today."

"Ava—"

"I didn't come back to watch you go to prison for murder."

"I'm not going to prison."

"You will if you kill someone."

"He won't kill anyone." Mason takes the exit. Tires screech. "But he might scare them."

The SUV follows.

The state park is empty. Winter. No campers. No hikers. Just trees and snow and a winding road that leads nowhere.

Mason stops the car in a clearing.

The SUV stops behind us.

"Doors locked?" I ask.

"Locked."

"Windows up?"

"Up."

"Now what?"

The driver's door of the SUV opens.

Vanessa steps out.

Black jeans. Black jacket. Black boots.

She looks nothing like the perfect fiancée from last night.

"Get out of the car, Ethan."

He doesn't move.

"I said get out."

"Make me."

Vanessa pulls a gun from her jacket.

Pointed at the windshield.

Pointed at me.

"Last chance."

Ethan opens his door.

Steps out.

Hands up.

"Ethan, no!"

"Stay in the car, Ava."

"Ethan—"

"Stay. In. The. Car."

Vanessa smiles. "Good boy. Now tell me where you're going."

"Idaho."

"Why?"

"To see my son."

"He's not your son."

"He's my blood."

"He's a bargaining chip." Vanessa steps closer. Gun still raised. "Your father wants him hidden. I want him found. See the difference?"

"You want to use him against Darius."

"I want leverage." She tilts her head. "Your father has been controlling me for years. Paying me. Promising me things. Never delivering."

"So you're betraying him?"

"I'm negotiating a better deal."

"With me?"

"With whoever wins." She lowers the gun. "Right now? That could be you. That could be him. That could be someone else entirely."

"What do you want, Vanessa?"

"I want what I was promised. Money. Power. Respect." She looks at me through the windshield. "I want to stop being the fake fiancée and start being the real wife."

"You want Ethan."

"I want the life he represents."

"You can have the money. You can have the power. You can have anything except him."

"Why?"

"Because he's mine."

The words hang in the cold air.

Mine.

Ethan looks at me.

Vanessa looks at me.

The world holds its breath.

"You love him," Vanessa says.

"I've always loved him."

"Then you're stupid. Love doesn't protect you. Love doesn't feed you. Love doesn't keep you warm when the world turns cold."

"What does?"

"Power." Vanessa holsters her gun. "And right now? I have more power than both of you combined."

"How do you figure?"

"Because I know where the boy is. The exact address. The exact names. The exact layout of the house."

"So do we. Mason gave us everything."

"Mason gave you the address from six months ago. They moved. Last week. New town. New names. New everything."

Mason's face goes pale. "That's not possible."

"Darius moves them every six months. New identities. New schools. New lives." Vanessa smiles. "I'm the only one who knows the current location."

"Why should we trust you?"

"Because I'm going to give it to you."

"For free?"

"For a price."

Ethan crosses his arms. "What price?"

"Protection. When Darius finds out I betrayed him, I'll need someone in my corner."

"You'll have us."

"Words are cheap."

"So is your loyalty." Ethan walks toward her. Slow. Deliberate. "You've been playing both sides for years. Why should I believe you've chosen mine?"

"Because I'm here. Alone. Unarmed except for the gun." She holds up her empty hands. "I could have shot you from the road. I could have called Darius. I could have done a lot of things."

"But you didn't."

"I didn't."

"So what changed?"

Vanessa looks at me.

"I saw the way he looked at you last night. When he thought no one was watching. Like you were the only person in the world."

"Jealousy changed your mind?"

"Realization." She looks back at Ethan. "He'll never look at me like that. He'll never love me. He'll never choose me. So why keep pretending?"

"Because your father—"

"My father is dead to me." Her voice cracks. "He sold me to Darius when I was eighteen. Traded me like property. Used me as a pawn."

"I didn't know."

"No one knows." She wipes her eyes. "I've been playing a role for twelve years. I'm tired. I'm angry. And I want out."

"So help us."

"I am helping you."

"Then give us the address."

She pulls out her phone. Types. Shows the screen.

A map. A pin. A small town called Eagle Nest.

"This is where they live now. The Reynolds. John and Mary. And Noah."

"He goes by Noah?"

"He goes by Noah Reynolds. He thinks that's his real name. He thinks the Reynolds are his real parents."

"What does he know about Ethan?"

"He knows his biological father is a hockey player. He doesn't know which one. The Reynolds aren't sports fans."

"But they watch the games?"

"They watch the Blizzards. Every game. They point at the screen and say 'That could have been your father.' But they never say his name."

"Why not?"

"Because Darius pays them not to."

Ethan stares at the map. "How do we get to Eagle Nest?"

"Four hours north. Through the mountains. The roads are bad this time of year."

"We have chains."

"You'll need more than chains. You'll need a guide."

"You?"

"I know the area. I've been there three times. To check on him. To make sure he's okay."

"You've seen my son?"

"From a distance." Vanessa looks at me. "He's beautiful. He has your eyes."

My hand goes to my chest.

"He has your smile."

"Can I see a photo?"

Vanessa hesitates. Then scrolls through her phone.

Hands it to me.

A little boy. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Missing front teeth.

My son.

My son who doesn't know I exist.

"He's perfect," I whisper.

"He's yours." Vanessa takes the phone back. "But you can't just show up and take him. There are laws. Procedures. Courts."

"We know."

"We have lawyers."

"Lawyers don't matter if Darius gets to him first." Vanessa looks at Ethan. "Your father knows you're looking. He knows Ava is back. He knows the clock is running out."

"Then we move faster."

"Or smarter." Vanessa pulls out a burner phone. Tosses it to Ethan. "This is how we communicate. Encrypted. Untraceable."

"You've done this before."

"I've been preparing for this for years." She walks back to her SUV. "I'll text you the coordinates. Don't go alone. Don't go unarmed. And don't trust anyone."

"Not even you?"

"Especially not me."

She gets in.

Starts the engine.

Rolls down the window.

"One more thing."

"What?"

"Noah doesn't know about any of this. The conspiracy. The lies. The kidnapping. To him, he's just a normal boy with a normal family."

"Until we show up."

"Until you show up." Vanessa's face softens. "Be careful with him. He's innocent. He's the only innocent person in this whole mess."

She drives away.

The black SUV disappears into the trees.

Mason exhales. "I thought she was going to kill us."

"So did I." Ethan opens my door. "You okay?"

"I just saw a photo of my son."

"I know."

"He has my eyes."

"I know."

"He doesn't know I exist."

Ethan pulls me into his arms.

"He will. I promise."

"How can you promise that?"

"Because I'm not leaving Idaho without him." He kisses my forehead. "And I'm not leaving you. Ever again."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it keeps being true."

Mason clears his throat. "We should go. Before she changes her mind."

"She won't change her mind."

"How do you know?"

"Because she's been waiting for someone to save her." Ethan opens the car door for me. "And she just realized no one's coming."

The road to Eagle Nest winds through mountains.

Snow falls.

The heater hums.

Mason focuses on the road.

Ethan's hand finds mine in the dark.

"We shouldn't," I whisper.

"Shouldn't what?"

"Touch. Not with him here."

"He can't see."

"Ethan—"

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to remember something."

His thumb traces circles on my palm.

"Remember the first time we were alone. In my apartment. After the game."

"You were nervous."

"I was terrified." His voice drops. "You were so beautiful. I couldn't believe you wanted me."

"I wanted you from the first moment I saw you."

"And now?"

"Now I want you more."

His hand slides up my arm.

Slow.

Deliberate.

"Ethan. Mason is right there."

"Mason is focused on the road."

"Mason can hear everything."

"Mason can pretend he can't."

I look at the rearview mirror.

Mason's eyes are fixed forward.

But his lips twitch.

Almost smiling.

"Four hours," Ethan whispers. "Four hours until Eagle Nest."

"What happens in four hours?"

"We find our son."

"And until then?"

His mouth finds my ear.

"Until then, I'm going to remind you why you came back."