Chapter 1

My six-year-old daughter was kidnapped.

When I finally found her, there was a bomb strapped to her body, a modified device with a countdown timer.

It was the kind only my husband, Simon Carter, knew how to defuse.

I called him immediately, but a woman answered instead. "Simon's in the shower right now. If it's urgent, you can tell me."

My head went blank. Without a second thought, I shrieked hysterically into the phone, insisting on speaking to Simon right then.

He did, but his voice was cold, edged with irritation. "Do you ever get tired of making things up? With a mother like you, it's no wonder Daisy's going to turn out the same way."

Then he hung up.

When I tried again, his phone was already off.

An hour later, the bomb went off.

My daughter never came back.

*****

"Mr. Ford, the bomb has started its countdown. We've only got sixty minutes."

Those words sent a sharp twist through my chest, and my body began shaking so violently I couldn't stop it.

My legs buckled beneath me, and I fell to my knees. "Please," I begged, "you have to save my daughter. She's only six years old."

Police Captain Joseph Ford let out a heavy, weary sigh. "The detonator on this bomb can only be disarmed by our bomb disposal expert, Simon Carter. The problem is, we can't get ahold of him.

"If Simon can get here within the hour, there's still a chance. Otherwise... we'll just have to stand here and watch it explode."

Simon Carter was my husband. He was also my daughter's father.

I knew he had the skill to disarm it. But earlier, he had hung up on me, and now his phone was turned off entirely.

I forced myself to pull myself together and grabbed Joseph by the arm. "Please keep Daisy calm. Don't let her move around. I'll be back soon."

I returned to my car and called one of Simon's close friends.

He must have heard the agitation and fear in my voice, because he finally gave me the home address of the woman Simon was seeing on the side, Olivia Lynn.

I drove there as fast as I could and rushed through the door.

It was Olivia who answered. She was wearing a silk slip, and her face had an unnatural flush to it.

Simon was behind her, looking like he had just stepped out of the shower. He hadn't even finished putting his clothes on.

The moment Simon saw me, his expression turned sour. He frowned and said, with clear irritation in his voice, "Madison, are you following me? You do know that's illegal, right?

"I've already told you. Olivia and I have never done anything to betray you. Can't you at least give me that much trust?"

His face was a mixture of anger and wounded innocence, as if I were the one being completely unreasonable.

But this was an emergency, and I didn't have the luxury of caring about any of that.

Whatever was or wasn't going on between them meant nothing to me in that moment.

All I wanted was to save my daughter.

So I got straight to the point. "Simon, to be honest, I don't care if you and Olivia have slept together. I'll give you a divorce and let you two be together.

"But right now, our daughter has been kidnapped. She's strapped to a bomb, and the timer is already counting down. We have one hour. You're the only one who can disarm it. So you need to come with me. Now."

With that, I grabbed Simon's arm and tried to pull him toward the door, but Olivia stepped right in front of me, blocking my way.

"Madison, showing up at my house first thing in the morning and making a scene like this?" she said. "Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm the other woman and you're the wronged wife catching me in the act.

"I just asked Simon to help me with something. That's all. No need to be so jealous. My precious Rocky hurt his leg, and he's a big dog. I couldn't handle him by myself.

"And honestly? You're a mother now. If you wanted Simon to come home with you, you could have just said so. You don't have to curse your own daughter and claim she's about to be blown up.

"Using your child as a way to compete for your husband's attention? Don't you think that's a bit cruel?"

Simon glanced toward the balcony, where Olivia's dog, a German Shepherd, was lying asleep with its leg wrapped in bandages.