Chapter 25 · Don't Reset This One

Charlotte's finger froze half an inch from the implant.

Lisa's voice came from somewhere in the dark storage room. Small. Certain. The kind of certain that made Charlotte's spine go cold because nine-year-olds shouldn't sound like that.

"Mom. Don't."

Charlotte's hand dropped. Her pulse hammered in her ears. She'd heard her daughter's voice exactly four times in five years. Voicemail. A birthday video sent through Ivy's encryption. A ransom call that turned out to be a setup. And now this.

"Where are you?"

"Behind the filing cabinet. Third row."

Charlotte moved. Her boots made no sound on the concrete. The tactical light on her borrowed gun cut through the dark in a tight cone. She swept past the first row of cabinets. Second. The beam caught a gap between the third cabinet and the wall.

Lisa sat with her knees pulled up. Oversized hoodie. Jeans with holes in the knees. Sneakers that looked two sizes too big. Her hair was longer than Charlotte remembered. Darker maybe. Or that was the blood on her temple.

Charlotte's breath stopped.

"You're hurt."

"It's not mine." Lisa's eyes tracked the gun in Charlotte's hand.