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Hands at ten and two and one foot riding the brake, Mateo Garcia rounded the bend on Highway 28 The rainstorone from a low-level pain in the ass to white-knuckle worthy three curves in the road ago

What he wouldn’t give for a Huh speed, windshield wipers couldn’t keep up The police-department-issued SUV’s tires hydroplaned every time he ran over a puddle Worse still, he had two htaway into Salvation, Virginia

“Out-fucking-standing,” Mateo grumbled

His headlights reflected off an abandoned yellow car half a click ahead The tail end stuck out onto the roadway, forcing anyone driving by to slon

His heart clogged his throat, expanding until he couldn’t take in any air

An explosion of lightning lit up the area, showing the rugged Afghanistan countryside instead of Salvation County’s lush rolling hills

Mateo blinked and the raindrops turned into blood splattering against the windshield

The thunder beca he’d ever heard before, followed by a deafening silence

His team was dead, their bodies torn apart by the blast, and it was all his fault If he’d followed protocol instead of his gut reaction, Ferrante and the rest of them would still be alive

A high-pitched whine jerked hiy mutt he’d picked up as a favor to his sister, the Salvation Huer seat

“Just a car stuck in a stor” He reached over and scratched behind the pup’s floppy ear, the action cal’s, and slowed down to take a closer look at the car as they passed “Looks like somebody ran into trouble”

The headlights were on He couldn’t see any da nerves into a dark hole, he turned on the cherry tops and pulled the SUV over

Shining his searchlight at the vehicle, he couldn’t see any n of anyone inside

He grabbed the in-dash radio “Dispatch, I’ve got an eleven-ninety-six on Highway 28”

“I thought you were off tonight, Chief” The Salvation Police Departht dispatcher, Simons, could be heard loud and clear over the static