The difference a few days could make.

He slashed her bindings with a knife and dragged her into the burned shell, ripping down the yellow police tape that blocked the door. Violet stared up at the ceiling in horror, frozen in fear and balancing on her one good leg. She could see the gray sky and trees through the holes in the ceiling and remembered Chris’s concerns that the roof could collapse. He shoved her onto a soot-covered couch and started the questions about the thumb drive again. “My mom hasn’t lived with Grandpa since she went to college,” Violet replied. “But he’s always been part of my family.”

Comprehension crossed his face, quickly replaced by anger. “Not Saul Messina. His brother Richard.”

“Richard? My real grandfather died years ago,” Violet said slowly. He’s crazy. Does he think I’m someone else? “Before I was born. My mother was just a child when her parents died.”

“Bullshit. Richard has been hiding for years.”

The floor seemed to fall away beneath Violet.

“You all tried to keep it a secret. Richard was scared shitless that Leo Berg knew about the attempts on his life.”

Leo? Violet knew the man only as the owner of the company created by her real grandfather.

“Leo’s always been good to us,” Violet said slowly. Her mother always had high praise for the man who’d honored her grandfather’s role in founding the technology company. According to her mother, most of their income came from a portion of the company’s profits even though her grandfather had died decades ago.

The man laughed. “Leo’s walked the line for a long time, but he’s not the one calling the shots. My father kept that company from drowning years ago. Leo owes everything to us. Richard had to have hidden the thumb drive here,” her kidnapper said. “I searched his apartment, your house, and Richard didn’t have it on him when he died. He was hanging around this cabin watching the two of you. He must have planted it here somewhere.” He pulled two cushions off the other couch, looking underneath them while still keeping his weapon trained on Violet. Gray ash formed clouds and he coughed. Violet covered her nose and mouth.

“Look in those drawers,” he ordered, waving his gun at her and pointing at an end table.

She slid one open, peered into the empty space, and wiped her hand on her jeans, feeling warm blood soaking one of her legs. “What’s it look like?”

“You don’t know what a thumb drive looks like?” he sneered.

“Of course I do. But is it any shape in particular? My school one is a cat on a key ring.”

“I don’t know what it fucking looks like. Keep digging.”

“What’s on it?” Violet asked. “Why do you need it?”

He took a step closer to her, deliberately looking down the barrel of his gun at her face. “Shut. Up.”

Sweat broke out under her arms and her good leg fought to hold her up. The image of Jamie crumpled on the street flashed in her brain. She turned away and opened another drawer.

“Just understand that your life depends on us finding it. Your life and your mother’s.”

Reid heard the vehicle approach the burned-out cabin. Stepping to the window, he barely moved the curtain to look outside. A county sheriff’s SUV had stopped in front. He could make out two silhouettes inside.

“Shit.”

He turned to check on the girl. Useless. Violet had finally collapsed onto one of the couches, crying that her leg hurt too badly for her to move. Rage shot through him. Why had he saddled himself with the girl? They’d searched nearly every square inch of the ashy cabin looking for the thumb drive. He knew Richard had stashed it somewhere. If not here, then where?

He should search Gianna’s home again.

Maybe she’d be home this time.

The slam of a car door turned his attention back outside. Two men stepped out. “Hello!” one hollered at the cabin. Reid glanced back at Violet, silencing her with a stare and drawing his weapon. Her eyes were wide, her hands clasped around her injured leg.

The deputies strolled to the black Escalade and cupped their hands to look in the windows. Their posture was relaxed, no tension or preparedness at all. Clearly they thought they were simply checking on a strange vehicle. They had no inkling of what they were about to encounter. They’re going to wish they’d taken this more seriously.

The two of them scanned the area and shouted at the cabin again. Inside, he held Violet to silence with a death glare. One of the deputies laughed at something the other said and started up the few steps to the cabin. Reid put his hand on the door handle and took a deep breath.

He flung open the door and shot the deputy in the face.

Violet screamed.

He took two steps, aimed, and fired at the other deputy, who’d frozen, staring at Reid. Blood appeared on his neck and he slapped his hands over the spot. Blood spilled from between his fingers and he spun around to run. Reid took another step in his direction, kicking the legs of the first deputy out of his way. The other deputy lunged, tripped, and fell, his hands still clutching his neck.

Reid slowly moved down the steps, his weapon trained on the deputy flailing in the yard. The man was still by the time he reached him. He kicked the man in the gut. He didn’t move.

He turned to see Violet in the doorway, supporting herself with one hand on the doorframe. Her mouth hung open as she stared from the faceless deputy at her feet to Reid.

“Where did you and your mother go when you left this burned-up piece-of-crap cabin that morning?” Reid asked her.