Chapter 1

Maria Rodriguez scrubbed the community college hallway, the scent of cheap cleaner sharp in her nose. Each swipe of the mop was a rhythm, a way to keep thoughts from settling too deep. But they always did. Miguel’s face, young, smiling in his Marine dress blues. His laugh. Gone. Afghanistan took him years ago, an IED, they said. A hero. The Navy Cross in its polished box on her dresser proved it. That box, and Sofia, were all she had left of him. Sofia, her sixteen-year-old girl. A quiet girl, with art in her fingers. She could make a pencil sing on paper. But school was hard. This town, struggling itself, had its pockets of wealth, of entitlement. Sofia, with her secondhand clothes and her silence, was a target. Maria knew it. She felt a constant, dull ache of worry for Sofia. The wealthy kids, the ones with names like Henderson, they ran the school like they ran the town. Maria had seen Chad Henderson, the son, swaggering around. He had his father’s eyes, cold and assessing. Mr. Henderson owned Stryker Security. His armored trucks were everywhere, his guards like a private army. He donated to the school, to the police, to everything. Maria finished the hallway, her back protesting. She just wanted Sofia safe. That was all. A simple wish, in a world that felt increasingly complicated and cruel. She glanced at the clock. Almost time to pick Sofia up. A small knot tightened in her stomach. It always did around this time. This fragile peace they had, it felt like glass. One wrong move, and it would shatter. She prayed today wouldn't be that day.