Because fear came from being lost, filled with doubt—and she had no doubts. She knew exactly what she was going to do. What she had already done. Protect her children. Her only task. Every thought and every tense muscle revolved around Hugo, Rasmus, Luiza. If she didn’t sink to the floor even though her legs didn’t want to carry her, didn’t scream even though this weight on her chest wanted out, didn’t cry and beg and give the bastards something of her own. If she just held on to this and never, never, never let go, there was nothing to fear.

“But this time, Mrs. Hoffmann, this isn’t about bread. This is personal. I once had a little boy too. Who died. And I never got to say goodbye—your husband made sure of that.”

The man who was talking stood in front of her with his predator eyes, while his assistant walked from room to room. Opened cupboards and turned over furniture. When he came back, he politely asked her to move, he was going to examine the bedroom closet.

She didn’t move.

Until he hit the butt of his gun against her forehead. The metal dug deep and no matter how much she focused, she couldn’t stand it, she fell back and the two masked men were able to open the closet. Look into it. See that it was empty.

“I know your boys are here.”

His voice was still controlled, just as unnaturally and unpleasantly calm.

“So where did you hide them?”

The blood ran from her forehead over her cheeks, and when she shook her head in response to his question, it changed direction, perhaps bled even more as it broke into three smaller rivers down her throat and onto her breast and quite a bit onto the floor.

“You get one more try. Before I shoot.”

He cocked his gun, looked at her with his predator’s gaze. He didn’t know she’d made up her mind.

She wasn’t going to say a word.

And she wasn’t going to close her eyes when he pulled the trigger.

Chapter 48

Luiza lay in Rasmus’s arms. She was sleeping, her breath deep and even. He had to remember to tell his little brother later how proud he was of him, it’s easy to forget if you don’t make a point of it.

He was still standing on top of the iron stand. From there it was possible to hear what they were saying on the other side of the floor. They weren’t screaming. They barely sounded threatening. But there was a threat.

He could see Mom in front of him. That expression that just drove a person crazy. When she’d really made up her mind.

“So where did you hide them?”