When I reached Lily's bedroom, I found her favorite stuffed bear lying abandoned on the floor.

There was no sign of a struggle.

Chapter 7 - THE SYNDICATE WAKES.

I sat across from Vance, pulling myself out of the memory of the wedding.

"We need to find my mother," I told the detective, my voice devoid of any warmth.

Vance sighed, rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off a massive headache.

"Your father's actions at the ballroom have complicated things," he warned cautiously.

I didn't care about the laws my father had broken to protect me.

"The police won't find Lily in time," I stated as a matter of absolute fact.

I stood up, the pain in my abdomen a sharp reminder of what I had survived.

I walked out of the interrogation room, ignoring Vance's demands for me to stay.

Chapter 8 - THE BLOOD TRAIL.

Our command center was a sprawling underground bunker beneath the city.

Monitors lined the walls, tracking every known associate of my husband's family.

My father handed me a suppressed pistol, its heavy metal frame grounding my racing thoughts.

"They are holding her at a private airfield on the northern border," he informed me.

My mother had brokered a deal with them, trading my daughter for a seat at their table.

She had sold her own flesh and blood to the very people who had tried to discard me.