There was no enchanted deed.

No covenant that transformed a house into a five-million-dollar personal debt the instant his name appeared on paper.

No bronze seal capable of freezing bank accounts.

No federal marshal waiting for me to press wax onto a document.

The protection had been much less dramatic.

The lake house belonged to a trust.

The trust required independent approval before anyone could sell or mortgage the property outside the family structure.

Flynn did not have that approval.