As Sven shouts directions, Hector flies through the streets of downtown Las Vegas toward the signal from Kara’s phone, which just turned on four minutes ago and sent out an emergency SOS signal.

I’m no longer in my seat. I’m wearing the Teflon vest Knox gave me when we made a stop to pick up my father at AutoZone ten minutes ago. My father is sitting between me and Bruno in the backseat, wearing his own bulletproof vest and carrying a stun gun. Like me, he also refused to sit back and do nothing. I’m crouching behind the front passenger seat, holding a .38 in my right hand, waiting for Hector to arrive at the location Kara’s being held, which appears to be a warehouse in an industrial park. I want to be ready to jump out and murder anyone who gets between me and her.

I know I have to let Knox and his team go in first, but I will not hesitate to act if one of them is sidelined. I’m ready to burn this fucking place to the ground to get my girl back. Nothing and no one is going to stop me.

But as the SUV turns left onto Lamb Blvd, my heart stops at the sight of a police car pulling up next to the warehouse. His siren isn’t on and his lights aren’t flashing, so he’s probably just responding to Kara’s emergency call. Without hesitation, Hector pulls up next to the cop as he’s stepping out of his car.

The cop can’t be more than thirty years old, and he looks scared out of his mind, resting his hand on his holster as he watches the SUV come to stop next to him. “Can I help you?” he asks tentatively, eyeing the Teflon vest Knox is wearing over his black T-shirt as the front passenger side window lowers.

“Good evening, officer,” Knox begins, and the cops eyes widen at the sound of his wise guy accent. “I’m gonna need you to radio for backup and make sure your fellow officers approach without lights and sirens.”

The cop looks very skeptical of this request. “Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m Knox Savage of Knox Security. I have a very high profile client who’s been abducted and taken to this warehouse. Her abductor has requested no law enforcement or she may be killed. We understand she may have activated a message or phone call to emergency services, and we believe she may be in imminent danger of retaliation. I know your job is to catch the bad guys, but I need you to let me do my job and get her out of there alive. I don’t want to have to subdue you, but I will do whatever needs to be done to recover my client alive.”

The cop stares at Knox in silence for what seems like an eternity before he finally replies, “I’m calling for backup.”

“Do it quietly,” Knox replies, as if he’s the guy’s commanding officer, then he twists around in his seat to address my father. “I need you to stay with the officer to update him on the details of the situation.”

My father nods and I tuck the .38 Knox gave me under the passenger seat before opening the back door. No need to spook this cop even further. I step out quickly and my father follows suit.

“Be careful,” he urges me. “Your mother cannot lose another son.”

I nod as I climb into the back seat, but I make no promises of a happy ending. This is not a movie. This is love, and it’s as real and raw and risky as it gets. The hardest gamble you’ll ever take. You don’t always make it out alive.

The cop speaks calmly and clearly into his shoulder mic. “10-33, officer requesting assistance. I need backup. Send officers and at least one ambulance to warehouse at southeast corner of Lamb Blvd and Cecile Ave. Possible kidnapping victim and suspects inside building. Perimeter not secured. Suspects possibly armed and dangerous. I repeat: 10-33, requesting backup to southeast corner of Lamb and Cecile.”

Knox nods at him. “Thank you, officer. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a job to do.”

“Fuck,” the cop hisses as the SUV begins to drive away.

Hector heads toward the parking lot in the back of the warehouse, where we find two vans and one BMW parked inside truck bays. The steel overhead doors are rolled up. Either Benny and his men never closed the doors or they’re getting ready to leave. Either they’re idiots or they’re ready for action, or both, which doesn’t bode well for Kara.

“What’s the game plan?” I ask, ready to charge in this fucking warehouse and raise hell.

“Pull up so they can’t see us,” Knox orders Hector before turning to face me. “The plan is you stay behind me so you don’t get killed. Got it? I’ve only lost one man in a recovery operation, and I’ve never lost a client. I always recover clients in less than two hours. We just passed the one-hour mark. I don’t need you getting yourself or your girlfriend killed and ruining my track record, okay?”

I can’t tell if this guy is a fucking narcissist or a sociopath. Whichever it is, he’s exactly what Kara needs right now, someone who will do whatever needs to be done without regard for anything but his ego.

“Got it,” I reply, sliding the .38 out from underneath the passenger seat.

“Sven, get behind the wheel and keep this baby running,” he says before turning toward me again. “The plan is you and I are going in one direction and Hector, Jimmy, and Bruno will take the other direction. We’ll clear each unlocked room we come across. If we encounter hostiles, we shoot to disable. In a hostage situation, we shoot to kill.”

Sven reaches into the trunk of the SUV and tosses Bruno, Knox, and me gas masks.

“What the fuck is this for?” I ask. “We need to get moving!”

“If we’re able to approach unseen, we’ll be using smoke grenades to confuse them. You’ll need the mask,” Knox insists.

I almost groan with frustration. I want to get the fuck inside. I’m tired of all this fucking chit-chat. But I have to keep my cool. This is the test of a fucking lifetime. If I fail, Kara dies.