Dust coated the furniture.
Sophie suddenly began coughing.
Hannah hurried through the rooms searching for heat.
The living room heater was broken.
The dining room heater was broken too.
Panic grew inside her chest.
She carried Sophie upstairs.
Guest rooms, library, game room—none had working heat.
Finally, on the third floor, she found a study where a heater still worked.
Warm air flowed through the room.
Relief nearly made her cry.
She laid Sophie near the heater, removed some blankets, and gave her medicine.
Soon the baby calmed and drifted to sleep.
Hannah tucked the baby monitor into her pocket and began cleaning the house.
She didn’t realize that while she was scrubbing the staircase, a black car had pulled up outside.
The owner of the mansion had just returned home.
Hannah was halfway down the stairs when she heard Sophie crying upstairs.
Not a normal cry—this one sounded frightened.
She dropped the mop and ran.
The baby monitor had stopped working.
When she reached the study, the crying had suddenly stopped.
She pushed the door open.
A tall man in a long black coat stood in the center of the room, holding Sophie gently in his arms.
On the desk beside him rested a black pistol.