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Chapter 1

Sacramento, California

T he bump that came from the trunk of her car surprised Tiffany sooff the road and into one of the houses along the right side What was going on? The fourteen-year-old boy she and her husband had called "Rover" was supposed to be dead She couldn't dump his body if he wasn't!

What should she do? She gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles showed beneath her skin She needed to stop and see as going on How had someone who'd been killed come back to life? And was Rover ained consciousness in a dark, confined space? Or was he trying to knock out a taillight in hopes of gaining the attention of the car following behind?

She couldn't believe he was still breathing, let alone coherent enough to execute such a plan He was too young to be that smart, too scared to defy them But--if he was alive--Rover had to know this was the end He'd never see his parents again if he didn't do so to take any risk?

Tiffany wasn't sure It always astonished her hoed and controllable the teenagers her husband brought home really were Colin had a ith them, knew just the type of individual to pick

Another thunk caused her palrow slick with sweat Damn it!

This wasn't supposed to happen It'd certainly never happened before

Could anyone else hear the racket Rover was ?

She glanced in her rearviewher for the past fewsunglasses, had lowered herto take advantage of the war an oval face with full lips, the kind of face Colin would probably find attractive, despite the obvious age difference But the woman didn't look any more interested in Tiffany than she had before

Or maybe she was She seemed closer now

More moveot to pull over

But if the driver of the SUV had seen or heard anything unusual, shea boy in her trunk?

Especially one in Rover's condition?

Think! It was better to keep driving She'd turn at the next light and hope the SUV went straight There were several ways to get to Highway 50

Once out of the city, beyond Placerville, she could pull down a dirt road in the mountains where she'd be hidden by pine trees

But then what? It was one thing to duer living

The noise co from her trunk became louder, more insistent If the lady behind her didn't hear it, a pedestrian at the next crosswalk could

Tiffany drew in a deep breath She had to get this right or Colin would be upset And if she screwed up, they'd both go to prison

Heart ha, she reached into her purse and fued to push the speed-dial button that would ring her husband's cell

"Hello?"

"Colin, he's alive!" she blurted into the pause that followed, but then his recorded voice cut in and she realized she'd gotten his voice mail

"I'ht now"

Frustrated, she punched the End button Colin thought it was funny to bait people into believing they had hiht her on it But she wasn't laughing today She needed him

Now

"H-e-l-p! Mo-om? Da-ad? Someone help me!"

That was Rover screa!

Taking the next right, Tiffany gave her car tooLaretted her lead foot She didn't want to draw attention to herself

At least the black SUV continued down Madison That was a small relief

Her hand shook as she dialed Colin's work number "Come on, hurry