“Do you think I gave her a choice? If my child was going to be leverage used against me, he could be used against her. Danielle didn’t want to be exposed as complicit in a murder. It wrecked her work for the CIA, having been involved in the death of an asset. They terminated her employment, disavowed her. And linking her to the CIA would destroy her adoption work, China would never let her in again or let her agency work in the country. When I came to Lakehaven, she knew who I was and she knew what would happen to her and her son if she didn’t play along. I bugged her house. I routinely hacked her phones. She had no way out from under my watch. If she talked about our arrangement to anyone, her son would be dead. I guaranteed that. Even if I was caught, arrested, and she and Ned were put into witness protection, her son would be dead. I have many friends in Russia who owe me many favors.” Now he smiles, shrugs. “Plus, I think she felt just a little guilty. I told her I only wanted a chance to know my boy. Like any good papa.”

Iris thinks: She pretended to be your girlfriend, so you’d be more readily accepted. Living in an endless trap, to protect herself and her son, so mine could be stolen. She tried to imagine Danielle’s terror. Her fear. She’d given a phone to Kyle not for an affair…but maybe as a first step of escape or warning. Even then she’d been too terrified to tell Kyle the truth, unwilling to risk her son’s life.

“Mike…”

“Mike was a deep cover identity I used in my intelligence career, long before I made my billions working for our president and his friends. I just stepped back into Mike’s shoes. Back in Russia they think I’m a recluse in my estate, or off on a yacht in Monaco, or whatever. You can run your business from wherever you are.”

A former intelligence agent. A billionaire. An oligarch. “You did this to our family. You coerced Danielle into helping you. You killed her, then framed my husband for it, killed Marland and framed my daughter.”

The slightest smile. “Your family is clearly unfit for the boy. He sees what you all truly are.”

“He’ll never love you. He’ll never accept you. He’ll never forget about us.”

“I can give him everything he needs and anything he wants. You can give him visiting hours at the local prison.” His contempt is thick.

“This is kidnapping.”