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PROLOGUE

Knives and forks clanging togetherrooas’s last nerve Peering out into the hallway, she eyed the golden hands of the antique grandfather clock for the millionth time It was almost seven, and her father was now thirty s seemed unaffected by his tardiness, she was on pins and needles awaiting his presence in the house

“Ignoring your food isn’t going toher fork at Sam’s untouched plate “Eat up”

With a sigh of frustration, Sa at the food that was usually her favorite but tonight held no appeal at all She brought some of the arroz con pollo to her lips Just as she was about to take a bite, her ears perked up at the hum of a car’s motor When a door slammed outside, Sa herself out of her chair

As her black Converse tennis shoes beat a hot path out of the dining rooet back here and finish your dinner!”

Ignoring her mother’s command, she sprinted down the hallway and threw open the front door She barreled forward off the porch and onto the path, where she jumped into her father’s arms

He dropped his briefcase onto the concrete, unable to juggle theuess this lad to see me, huh?”

“You’ve been gone alhtened her arainst hi with the steel of his gun It ht have freaked outIt was how she identified her father Like on television and in the ainst all the bad ones co crimes

“This case took a little longer than I thought, mija But rest assured that after tomorrow, I’ll be home now for a while”

“I’lad” She pulled back to stare into his dark brown eyes—the same ones she had inherited from him Of course, she had inherited so much more from him than just his eye color Unlike her older brother and sister, who favored their mother, she was her father’s Mini-Me She wanted to be just like hirandfather had been a detective with the Miaent She had a strong desire to beat the bad guys, just as they did While other girls her age were playing with Barbies and other dolls, she was learning from her father’s stories how to dise

“Coo inside Your ht, and I’”

Sarinned “She did”

“And that’s why I love her so irl, but she tries her hardest to make her Cuban husband his favorite foods”

As they cli in the doorway Her father eased Saive her fifteen-year-old brother, Steven, and thirteen-year-old sister, Sophie, each a hug Being teenagers, Steven and Sophie didn’t think it was cool to show the same kind of excitement for their father’s return as she had done