all forest of ancient oak trees, and Leo, his face pressed against the tinted glass, noted the thermal cameras

n of glass, steel, and dark stone. A chauffeur, not the one

he biting Hamptons wind cutting right through the

entrance. His posture was perfect, his expression serene. "Welcome home,

butler into the cavernous marble foyer. The ceilings were three sto

my evening meetings," he instructed, his voice tight. "I

nd distant. "Go to your room. You have one hour

irst thing about a violin. But he nodded dutifully, turned, and walk

he had of the estate's blueprints, which he'd hacked and studied last year

was white or gray. The bed was made with military precision. There were no toys, no pos

He immediately pulled his customized tablet from the h

. He didn't bother with the guest Wi-Fi. That was for amateurs. He l

e HVAC system. The system, designed for comfort, had root access to every othe

cess to every security camera in the mansion, i

ouring himself a glass of amber liquid-scotch, probably. On the other, he be

jump. He swiftly slid the tablet under t

n it was a single glass of filtered water a

cious, colorful gummy bears he'd been forced to abandon at the airpor

eyebrows, thin and white, rose a fraction of an inch. "Master

careless. He quickly jumped off the bed, picked up the jacket, and folded

ed the tray on the stark white desk. "Your violin ins

. Ten minutes. He was ten minutes away from being

ing coughs. He forced a wheeze, pretending to struggle for br

n. He rushed forward, pulling a small walkie-talkie from his pock

fit slowly subside. He croaked out the words, his voice a

d at the boy's pale face, the dark circles Leo had expertly smudged u

butler said softly. "I will ca

room, quietly shutting th

igh of relief, flopping back on

arret's office again. His father was no longer looking at financial data. He was

He squinted, trying to make out the details. The pho

photograph was