“But Malcolm deployed every available Sentinel. The entire perimeter is locked down,” Allison muttered, his chest rising and falling with ragged, furious breaths. The sheer impossibility of the breach was a poison in the air.

“Which means our intruder is more than just trained, Allison. He’s elite,” Mom stated, pushing herself up from the floor. Her gaze was like steel as it landed on me, protective and terrified all at once. “And his objective was clear from the start. This wasn’t a random act of violence. He came here for one purpose; to hurt Angie.”

“You’re right, mom.” Allison agreed, his voice tight as he ran a hand through his...