The phone rang, cutting through the tension in the room like a knife. All three of them froze. Theodore, Niko, and Amelia all turned to look at the phone. It was late, really late, so it had to be about Alexei.

Theodore reached for the phone on his desk, his voice carefully composed as he answered. "Yes?"

Amelia watched her father-in-law's expression shift, the tight lines around his mouth relaxing slightly as he listened to whoever was on the other end. Her heart began to race. Something had ...