Chapter One

      Special Agent Seth Calder slipped his gun from his shoulder holster and stepped from his truck. He eased the door shut so the sound wouldn’t alert anyone.

      If there was anyone around to alert, that was.

      The criminal informant who’d called him an hour earlier had said there was talk about some kind of evidence here. The CI didn’t know exactly what the evidence was, but it was in an abandoned warehouse on Miller Road just outside the ranching town of Sweetwater Springs. Seth was already familiar with the warehouse, since the FBI had had it under surveillance a few months back.

      Because it’d been a holding facility for a black market baby ring.

      Just the thought of it put a knot in Seth’s gut. The FBI and local cops had shut down the black market ring, had made plenty of arrests, too, but maybe something inside would lead to yet more arrests.

      Or, God forbid, even more missing babies.

      That was why Seth had gotten out here as fast as he could.

      The gray metal building showed no signs of life, though. No trees within a hundred yards. And no other buildings were nearby. Just a huge concrete parking lot with weeds poking up through the cracks.

      Using slow, cautious steps, Seth started toward the building but came to a quick stop when he heard an engine. The road wasn’t exactly on the beaten path, so he waited and watched as the dark blue car came around the curve.

      The driver hit the brakes.

      Seth took a closer look. Then he cursed. What the devil was she doing here?

      He intended to find out.

      No one had ever accused him of having a friendly face when he was on the job, and Seth put on his best scowl when he walked toward Shelby Braddock’s car. She didn’t wait for him to reach her. She stepped out, her movements jerky and hurried, and she matched him scowl for scowl.

      To