241 I had been gone for five days, but nothing prepared me for what I saw when I opened the door: my wife juggling dinner and our sick toddler, while my mother and sister sat nearby on their phones.

[Chapter 46: The Breach at CPS]

Ethan didn't waste another second. He didn't care about Edward Cross, or the money, or the corporate shares. He threw himself into his car and sped back toward Cedar Rapids.

He dialed Rebecca Vance. “Rebecca! You need to lock down the CPS facility where Noah is being held right now! Lauren is alive, and she’s coming for him!”

“What?! Ethan, that’s impossible, the crash—”

“Listen to me!” Ethan screamed over the roar of his engine. “The crash was staged! She needs Noah to unlock the Swiss trust! She’s moving toward Iowa right now!”

“Ethan, I can’t just order a federal lockdown based on your word—” Rebecca started, but she was cut off by a sudden, loud burst of static over her line.

Through the static, Ethan heard the distinct, piercing sound of a fire alarm blaring in the background of Rebecca’s office.

“Rebecca? Rebecca, what’s happening?!”

“Ethan...” Rebecca’s voice came back, tight with sudden panic. “The facility... the CPS annex building down the street just went into emergency evacuation. They’re reporting a gas leak. They’re moving the children out to the transport vans right now.”

The gas leak. The exact same tactic Lauren and Richard had used to burn his house down and create a distraction a year ago.