1The day my father pulled back the blanket covering my pregnant body, the lies my husband and mother-in-law had buried for months died in a single heartbeat. They had convinced everyone I was weak, emotional, and struggling with pregnancy. They never imagined my father would uncover the bruises they forced me to hide—and they had no idea he wasn't just my father. He was a U.S. Army colonel.

At 11:00 PM, the encrypted laptop in my office pinged softly. Thorne had sent a secure data packet. I opened it and found a series of satellite images and financial wire transfers.

"He’s using a shell company called Apex Logistics," Thorne wrote in the attached encrypted chat. "He purchased an abandoned warehouse about ten miles from your property two weeks ago. He’s been moving heavily armed personnel in."

"He brought an army," I whispered to myself, analyzing the thermal imagery.

"Emmy, you need to evacuate. He has at least six mercenaries with him. You cannot hold off a tactical team."

"I'm not going to," I typed back rapidly. "I need you to freeze every single offshore account tied to Apex Logistics. Drain his operational funds. Make him desperate."

"That will take me thirty minutes, but it will alert him that you're on the offensive."

"Do it. I want him to know I’m coming for him."