Chapter 58
we had to move. staying in the motel meant waiting to be caught by the police or slaughtered by the syndicate. i woke the children before dawn, masking our appearance with cheap hats and oversized hoodies i bought from a nearby gas station. we drove two towns over to a public library that had just opened its doors. i settled the kids in the children's section with a stack of picture books and slipped over to a public computer terminal. my hands slick with sweat, i plugged in the flash drive. the screen flickered, loading hundreds of offshore bank statements, blackmail photos, and encrypted emails connecting the valenti family to local politicians and judges. but one file caught my eye—it was an email thread from my husband. he wasn't protecting the boy. he was negotiating the price for handing him over. a cold shadow suddenly fell across the keyboard.
