The photo confirmed it. A clean, smiling girl, completely at odds with the pale, dirt-streaked child before him. Evan saw the crescent-shaped birthmark behind Sophie’s right ear and knew beyond doubt.
“They said I was gone,” Sophie whispered. “In the white room. They said I didn’t exist anymore.”
“My father?” Evan asked softly.
“Yes,” Sophie said, eyes wide, mixing fear and anger.
Evan’s mind raced. A billionaire father had publicly declared his child missing, even presumed dead, while she sat on Evan’s couch. They weren’t just missing, they were hiding something.
“We need to move,” Evan said, urgency flaring. “Somewhere they won’t look.”
“Where?” Sophie asked, trembling.
“Somewhere safe,” Evan replied. SHe grabbed a duffel with cash, spare clothing, and a burner phone. Just as they were leaving, heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway, too steady, too coordinated.
“They know our names,” Evan muttered. “Quiet.”
The door rattled violently as someone tried to break in. Evan scooped Sophie up and shoved her through the fire escape window. They dropped onto the snow-covered alley, the winter air biting but irrelevant. Behind them, shouted commands and gunshots rang out.