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Chapter One

Reyna

My heart races but my hands remain steady on my weapon A Phoenix Police Department officer pounds a steel front door with a hand-held battering ra free Another strike with the ram and the door bursts open

“Hands in the air!”the rundown three-bedroom ranch-style house “Police! Hands in the air!”

I enter the house, overcome by the sunfire heightens my senses as I move behind a wall for cover

My bulletproof vest isn’t enough protection for aMy job isn’t to fire on these guys—ues have that covered I’m here to find the victim

“Get back in here, you piece of shit,” another Phoenix officer shouts, hauling back aon the belt fastened around the waist of his jeans

I poke h that I’m able to crawl to the hallway There are four doors in the hallway, all closed With a deep breath, I stand up and call outthe first one

It’s a diht fixture above the sink burned out The saze to a trash can in the corner of the rooht of used condoe of the can, others dropped on the dirty linoleum floor

I repeat the process at the next door, which is a tiny bedroom with dirty clothes scattered over the stained carpet and the giant bed that nearly fills the roo my weapon aimed in front of me, I approach the double closet doors and lower one hand to the handle, opening it

There are several guns, including a semi-auto and more dirty clothes There’s no one in this room, so I move on

At the next door, I announce ht switch on the wall, I see that this room is a lot like the last one Smelly, with dirty clothes piled in a corner There’s an e a s mattress The onehas plywood nailed into its frame

Gun leveled, I make my way around to the side of the bed There’s only about a foot between the bed and the wall, and a girl is huddled in the corner there, hugging her knees to her chest and shaking

I exhale hard, relieved she’s alive Then I lower my weapon

“My naent, and I’m here to help you”