Chapter 4 - The Hidden Camera
I completely forgot I had placed a tiny nanny cam inside that teddy bear two years ago.
My hands shook violently as I opened the live video feed on my phone screen.
The camera showed the twins' dark bedroom, where the bear was sitting quietly on a high shelf.
The bedroom door creaked open, and the hallway light spilled across the carpet.
Ryan and Diane walked into the room, whispering in hushed, urgent tones.
"Are you absolutely sure the transfer will go through by tomorrow morning?" Diane asked nervously.
Ryan paced across the room, running his hands aggressively through his messy hair.
"The judge granted me temporary custody, which gives me full legal control over their financial accounts," Ryan answered.
I turned the volume up to the maximum setting, pressing the phone closely to my ear.
"If we don't drain that trust fund tomorrow, my company will completely face federal bankruptcy charges," Ryan admitted.
My blood ran completely cold as the horrific puzzle pieces finally snapped together.
My late father had set up a multi-million dollar trust fund for my children before he passed away.
Ryan didn't want the kids because he loved them.
He only wanted them so he could steal their inheritance to save his failing business.
Diane laughed, a wicked sound that made my skin crawl in disgust.
"By the time that stupid girl finds a decent lawyer, the money will be safely hidden in the Cayman Islands," Diane bragged.
The video feed cut out as Ryan shut the bedroom door and plunged the room back into darkness.
I looked at Ethan and my mother, my heart pounding with a fierce, unstoppable adrenaline.
"They are going to the First National Bank on Fifth Avenue right when it opens," I announced.
We had exactly eight hours to figure out how to stop a legally sanctioned bank robbery.
Ethan pulled a heavy metal lockbox from under my mother's bed.
"I think it is time we call in a few favors from my old military buddies," Ethan said with a dark smile.
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He opened the box to reveal a stack of encrypted burner phones and fake identification cards.
I knew right then that we were no longer playing by the rules of the law.
