He pushed the coffin lid upward. Light spilled inside and Preston leaned over. Expecting stillness. Expecting the awful cold of death. Instead he felt warmth under his fingertips. Warmth where none should remain.
“She is warm,” he whispered. He pressed a finger to her neck. A pulse fluttered there. Faint but certain.
“Bring a doctor. Right now.”
Guests erupted into frantic motion. A physician who had attended the service rushed forward and checked for himself. His eyes flew wide.
“She has a heartbeat. Weak but present. We must get her to a hospital immediately.”
As medics lifted Talia from the coffin and hurried her outside Preston turned toward the boy. Jace appeared ready to be dragged away by guards.
“You are coming with me,” Preston said.
Jace stiffened. “I did not do anything wrong.”
“You came because you care. That is enough.”
They followed the stretcher to the ambulance then on to the hospital. Hours passed. Preston paced the corridor. Jace sat silent with his hands folded tightly together as though trying not to intrude upon the grief of a wealthy man. Finally a doctor in a white coat approached.
“She is stable now,” he reported. “Your daughter was placed into an induced coma by an external agent. Her vital signs were misread. This boy kept her alive by speaking up.”
Preston turned toward Jace with disbelief and gratitude.
“Tell me more about the man you saw,” Preston said.
Jace nodded. “He wore a dark coat. He had a scar near his eyebrow. He pushed her into a silver van. I memorized the license number. I do that to stay alive.”
Preston held his breath. “What was the number.”
Jace repeated it clearly.
Preston felt the air leave his lungs. He knew that number. It belonged to Morton Keene. His longtime business partner. His adviser. The man who had insisted the funeral must happen quickly to avoid media attention.
The betrayal narrowed his vision. “He did this to gain control of my stake,” Preston murmured. “He wanted me broken.”
The next morning Preston sat at Talia’s bedside. Her face was still but peaceful. Jace waited quietly near the doorway.
“Jace,” Preston said. “Will you help me bring him down.”
Jace nodded without hesitation. “For her. Yes.”