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She motioned that she was going in. “Crap,” I muttered, flinging the door open.

She had already picked the lock by the time I crossed the street.

I really fucking hoped she was right about this.

I made my way up the walk and into the house, slipping inside before I could think better of it.

The first thing I did was look for any cameras.

Nothing was in sight, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have them hidden inside.

Raven was already digging through the mail when I entered. “Are we all clear?”

“No one’s in the house.”

I nodded and made my way through the house, cursing my damn crutches the whole way, looking for an office, but there were only a few bedrooms. The house was in pristine condition and there was no sign that anyone else lived here, but that wasn’t right.

When I found him, it said he was married with a kid.

But as I looked around, there was no sign that a child lived here.

“Raven, do you see anything in the mail referring to kids?”

“No, just a bunch of bills.”

“Nothing medical?”

“Nope. Why?”

“Because the report said that he had a kid, but I don’t see a room for a kid or anything.”

“Maybe the kid died,” she said, her voice turning angry.

That was possible, but something felt off about the whole thing. There was nothing in the report about the kid dying. Not that mistakes couldn’t be made, but…

I walked through the house one last time, taking extra time to search every room.

It was only when I walked down the hall a third time and my crutches hit the wood flooring in just the right way that I heard the creak and paused.

I rocked back and forth, testing the sections of the flooring and where the sound was coming from.

“Raven! Get over here!”

Using my crutches for support, I lowered myself to one knee, stretching my other leg out in front of me.

I ran my fingers over the floor, searching for any changes in the wood.

I found a section that was a slightly different color and followed it toward the closet.

Ripping the doors open, I found a small break in the wood that could be used as a handle.

“What the hell is that?” Raven asked, her voice cold and spooked.

I looked back at her, my heart thumping in my chest as I slowly pulled up the wood. God, it was a fucking trap door. “Get a light.”

She hurried off to the kitchen while I pulled up the hatch and stared down into the darkness. A heavy weight sank in my gut as I stared into the dark depths. Raven was back in minutes, shining the light on the wooden ladder that led down into the crawl space.

“I can’t make it down there,” I said reluctantly. I didn’t like sending her down there alone, but there was no way I’d be able to get down there without breaking my other damn leg.

“It’s okay. I’ve got this.” She took the flashlight between her teeth and lowered herself into the small space.

“Be careful.”

I pulled my gun from my hip, suddenly on edge. Nothing about this was right, and I was terrified of what she was about to find. I knew in my gut this was bad.

“Patrick! Call 9-1-1!”

I pulled out my phone and dialed without a second thought, not even knowing what she found.

“9-1-1. What is your emergency?”

“I need the police and an ambulance at 520 Sycamore.”

It took what felt like forever for Raven to pop back up as I relayed the information she provided to the operator.

When she finally did, I nearly puked. A small girl, maybe ten years old, came up with her.

The terror on her face was clear, and the way she looked at me sent shivers down my spine.

She was afraid of men, that much was clear.

I quickly holstered my weapon and tucked it under my shirt so she couldn’t see it.

“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you,” Raven said quietly, hoisting the little girl up into my arms. I held her to me, unsure if I was doing this right. I had no idea what kind of trauma she had dealt with, or if she was even okay with me touching her.

She smelled like shit—literal shit—and her ribs protruded through her sides. The poor girl probably hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time.

“Hey, did your dad do this to you?”

She bit her lip, staring at Raven with eyes barely open as she climbed out of the crawl space. As soon as Raven opened her arms, she leapt from mine into hers. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf, terrified of being above ground. When was the last time this child saw any light?

“Police! Open up!”

“It’s open!” I called out, knowing it would be faster than if I tried to get up and make my way over to the door.

Police swarmed inside, guns raised as they saw us on the floor by the open hatch. When the first officer saw the little girl, he immediately lowered his gun, taking in the sight of her before he looked at me.

Using my crutches, I got to my feet. “My name is Patrick Cook and I’m a security agent with OPS out of Kansas. I have a weapon at my hip.”

“Step over here, slowly,” the officer directed, his eyes on me the whole time.

I did as he asked, careful not to make any sudden movements.

“What the hell happened here?” the officer asked after relieving me of my weapon.

I gritted my teeth, furious how this job turned south so quickly. How the hell was I going to explain any of this to Edu? And what the hell was it going to do to him when he found out all the details?

“You need to call child protective services.”

That was all it took to send the next twenty-four hours into complete chaos.