“You are being detained as an accessory to felony child abduction and the destruction of identification documents.”

“No!” Evelyn screamed, thrashing as the cuffs closed over her wrists.

“Get your hands off me!

Julian!

Do something!

Call our lawyer!

Julian!” But Julian could do nothing at all.

He stood in his handcuffs, surrounded by shocked strangers, his conqueror’s confidence entirely gone, his face collapsing into the dawning, crushing comprehension of what he had done and what it was now going to cost him.