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Chapter One

Catalina

Catalina Mendez strolled down the e to herself

It was her favorite tih it was dark as night Statistically speaking, a high percentage of bad things happened at 3:00 AM It was a peak time for vehicle crashes, industrial accidents, medical crises, and violent crimes For an adrenaline junkie para tiet to save a life It didn’t hurt that Catalina was a night oorking at peak efficiency by night and a little sleepy and slow by day

But right now, she wasn’t just at peak efficiency She ired She’d just flown back from the s with Paraency services after a catastrophic earthquake

Her return trip had been a catastrophe all by itself Her best friend and paramedic partner Ellie McNeil had been supposed to pick her up at the airport, but her flight had been delayed, then canceled, then restored so et about it Catalina was perfectly capable of taking a taxi whenever the hell her flight got in Which had been originally scheduled for 6:00 PM on Wednesday, but turned out to be 2:00 AM on Friday

By the tiallons of coffee to ht Then she figured she ht as well drink some more, since she was already wide awake By the time the plane touched down in Santa Martina, she’d worked up a pretty good caffeine rush Her nerves tingled with anticipation that soht happen at any second

That hen she discovered that her luggage had been accidentally routed to Singapore Which was certainly exciting and iood way She picked up her purse, which was all she’d taken on the plane, and made her way to the taxi stand

As the taxi headed toward her hoo there It would be boring And lonely She couldn’t even reunite with her cats— Ellie had taken them while Catalina ay Her bed would be cold and empty without any kitties to cuddle

Thoughts of Ellie and bed led to thoughts of the uard Hal Brennan And the other hot bodyguards at Hal’s private security company, Protection, Inc Ellie had proot back froh Catalina had been impressed with the pics of Hal, she’d declined to look at the ones of the single guys She’dsurprised

The taxi stopped at a red light Catalina recognized the silhouette of a towering office building a couple blocks ahead It had been in one of the photos Ellie had e in front of Protection, Inc

“Letdistance from my home”

The taxi driver craned his head at her “Are you sure? It’s a pretty long walk And it’s the ht”

“I’m sure,” she said

Catalina paid him and stepped out on to the empty street Sure, no one would be at Protection, Inc But she’d at least get a closer look at the place she’d heard so y before she went hoht was the best time to walk around the city The air was cool, the sky was a pretty purple-orange with light spill, and you never knehat ht happen

A vision of her mother popped into her mind as she walked down the street