My sister called me at midnight and whispered, “Turn off every light. Go to the attic. Don’t tell your husband.” I thought she was losing her mind — until I looked through the floorboards….

Below, Caleb’s phone rang.

He answered sharply. “Mom?”

His expression shifted.

“What do you mean they took him?”

The stranger stepped closer. “What happened?”

Caleb turned pale. “Noah’s gone. Police stopped them on the highway.”

The man cursed. Then Caleb looked up.

Not directly at me, but toward the attic.

“Where’s Elise?”

My heart stopped. He began moving down the hallway, checking rooms.

“Elise?” he called, his voice smooth again. “Baby, where are you?”

I pressed myself behind a stack of storage bins.

The attic steps creaked.

Once.

Twice.