I woke up in our Thailand hotel to find my husband and his family gone. The white linen sheets on the king-sized bed were cold,

The flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles felt like a nightmare that wouldn't end for Mark Vance. Every hour brought another automated notification to his phone whenever the satellite connection flickered. His firm’s stock was plummeting. His investors were sending frantic text messages. His bank accounts were freezing up one by one.

"It’s just a glitch," Evelyn kept repeating in first class, though her hands were shaking so hard she couldn't open her cream packet. "The servers are down. When we land, your lawyers will fix this. That pathetic girl couldn't possibly have done anything."

When Flight 882 finally touched down at LAX, Mark was the first person out of his seat. He grabbed his briefcase, ignoring the flight attendants, and pushed his way down the jetway with Evelyn and Chloe trailing behind him.

"We need to get to the private car," Mark said urgently, sweat soaking through his designer shirt. "I need to call the bank from the terminal."

They walked out into the international arrivals hall. But instead of the driver holding a placard with his name, three men in dark suits standing near the customs barrier stepped directly into their path.

Beside them stood two armed US Customs and Border Protection officers.

"Mark Vance?" the lead agent asked, holding up a leather badge holder. "FBI Cyber Crimes Division. Agent Miller."

Evelyn gasped, pulling Chloe behind her. "What is the meaning of this? Do you know who we are? My son is a senior partner at—"

"Ma'am, step back," Agent Miller said coldly. He turned his attention back to Mark. "Mr. Vance, you are being detained under suspicion of grand theft of government-encrypted hardware, interstate transportation of stolen data, and unauthorized access to national security assets."

"What?" Mark shrieked, his voice breaking. "That’s insane! I didn't steal anything! That was just my wife's flash drive!"

"Your wife," Agent Miller said, pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs, "is a former high-level threat analyst for federal cyber defense. The device you attempted to breach on board Flight 882 contained restricted security protocols. You flagged yourself the moment you plugged it in."

"No, no, no!" Mark stammered, stepping back, but the two border patrol officers grabbed his arms, forcing his hands behind his back. The metal cuffs clicked shut loudly, drawing stares from hundreds of arriving international passengers. "She's an orphan! She has no money! She works at a non-profit!"

"She used to work for the government," Agent Miller corrected dryly. "And right now, she’s the primary witness against you in a multi-million-dollar financial fraud investigation."

"Where is she?" Evelyn screamed, her face red with rage and humiliation as passengers pulled out their phones to record the scene. "Where is that ungrateful little snake?"

"She's right here, Evelyn," a calm, clear voice echoed from the side entrance of the terminal.

The crowd parted.

Sienna walked out of the VIP customs corridor. She wasn't wearing the cheap linen dresses Mark had bought her or the simple sandals she wore in Thailand. She wore a perfectly tailored charcoal-grey pantsuit, high heels, and black sunglasses pushed up onto her dark hair. Behind her walked two senior attorneys from one of the most prestigious law firms in Washington D.C.

Mark stared at her, his mouth agape. "Sienna?"

I walked up to them, stopping right in front of my husband and his mother. I looked down at Mark’s handcuffed wrists, then raised my eyes to meet Evelyn’s horrified gaze.

"You left a note, Evelyn," I said softly, pulling the crumpled piece of hotel paper from my pocket and holding it up. "'Let’s see who comes for you now.'"