Chapter 1

I stared at the rolling green hills of the golf course outside my hotel window, a glass of pinot grigio swirling in my hand. It was my third day in Napa for the annual tech investors' summit. Everything was going perfectly. The deals were promising, the weather was beautiful, and I felt a sense of calm that only came when my life was in perfect order.

My two children, Leo and Mia, were a huge part of that order. Since my divorce from their father, Mark, five years ago, I' d made it my mission to give them everything. Not just everything they needed, but everything they could possibly want. I believed that freedom, especially financial freedom, was the greatest gift I could give them. It was my way of supporting them, of trusting them to grow into the people they were meant to be without the hardship I had faced.

I checked my banking app, a daily ritual. Seeing the list of transactions on their supplementary cards always brought a smile to my face. A new gaming console for Leo, a designer handbag for Mia, expensive dinners with their friends. Good. They were enjoying their youth, living the life I worked so hard to provide. I saw them as confident, happy teenagers, thriving under the care of their father, who I paid a very generous amount to be their primary caregiver while I built our empire. My optimism was a warm blanket.

Then I saw it.

A charge for $85.50 at a place called "Second Time Around Pawn Shop."

It was a small amount, almost insignificant compared to the other expenses. But it was wrong. Utterly, completely wrong. My children had no reason to go to a pawn shop. They had unlimited funds. If they wanted something, they bought it new. The charge was a discordant note in the perfect symphony of my life, a tiny crack in the flawless facade.

My heart started beating faster.

Suddenly, the wine tasted sour, the view outside seemed gray. An icy unease spread through my veins. Why would they go there? What did they pawn? Or worse, what did they buy?

I threw my clothes into my suitcase, my hands shaking slightly. The rest of the summit, the multi-million dollar deals, the networking-it all vanished from my mind. Something was wrong with my kids. That was the only thought that mattered.

"David," I said into my phone, my voice tight. "Cancel the rest of my meetings. Book me on the first flight back to Oceanville. Now."

As I was heading for the door, my personal phone buzzed with an unknown number. I almost ignored it, but something made me answer.

"Is this Ms. Evelyn Reed?" a formal, sterile voice asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"This is Sarah Jenkins from the Department of Child and Family Services. We received an anonymous report concerning the welfare of your children, Leo and Mia Reed."

The world tilted on its axis. Child and Family Services? My children? It was impossible. A mistake. A cruel prank. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't form a word.

Before I could recover, another notification lit up my phone screen. It was a fraud alert from my bank.

Unusual activity detected on the primary account ending in 4592. Access has been temporarily suspended.

That was Mark's account. The main account from which I funded their entire life. The account that should have been a bottomless well of security. Now, it was another blaring alarm in a chorus of sirens.