ONE

      Bad things happen at night.

      Border patrol agent Kylie Perry stared through her night vision goggles and repeated the words that had kept her alive every time she went out on patrol at this hour—words that reminded her to be prepared for anything.

      Tonight could be big. All intel pointed to the drug lord Rio Garcia crossing the border into El Paso from Juarez, Mexico. Rumor had it he was coming to seek revenge on his sister, Adriana, who had betrayed him.

      Catching Garcia would be a coup for both the border patrol and the Texas Rangers she was working with tonight.

      With the rushing rumble of the Rio Grande current pressing on her ears, Kylie scanned the high thin grass that surrounded the river.

      A voice burst through the radio. “I’ve got movement at ten o’clock.” Austin Rivers, one of the rangers she was assisting, couldn’t hide his excitement. Apparently, he liked the action as much as she did.

      Kylie’s heart skipped into double time as she turned her head toward where Austin had indicated. She scanned until her view took in one person moving at a rapid pace across the river. That couldn’t be their target. Rio Garcia would have four or five henchmen with him. He never went anywhere without his bodyguards.

      But maybe he was changing tactics.

      “Kylie, let’s see if we can catch him.” Austin’s voice came through the radio. “The rest of you hold your position. This could be nothing.”

      Heart racing, adrenaline surging. Kylie took off running. A moment later, she heard Austin’s footsteps behind her. Her feet pounded the ground. She knew the fastest route to the river. Because of their knowledge of the people, terrain and geography, border patrol was an invaluable asset on these ranger missions.

      The glowing figure disappeared in the tall brush on the American side. One person alone. Who could it be? She couldn’t tell if the yellow glow she’d seen through the night vision goggles had been a man or woman.

      Kylie quickened her pace as she gulped in air.

      As they approached the river, she slowed down and drew her weapon. Austin came up beside her and pulled his gun, as well. She scanned the landscape looking for the solitary figure. Her ears tuned into every sound. Austin pressed close to her, their shoulders nearly touching.

      Minutes passed as the tension bore down on her and twisted her stomach in a knot. The high-wire tension was made worse by the sweat that trickled down Kylie’s neck. Even a November night in this area felt hot to her. She was a Montana girl, born and bred. As much as she loved her job, she wasn’t sure she would ever get used to the desert climate of El Paso.

      Austin whispered as he pivoted and aimed his gun at each sector of the landscape. “Are you sure your informant was right about Garcia coming over tonight in this spot?”

      “All my information from her so far has been golden,” Kylie said.

      Most informants were criminals themselves, men and women on the take wanting money or criminal charges against them dropped. This one was different. Kylie had met Valentina and her six-month-old baby, Mercedes, at her church. When Valentina found out Kylie was a border agent, the young mom had offered Kylie a deal. Valentina would pass vital information to her in exchange for prepaid classes at a community college. Kylie’s boss had readily agreed to the arrangement.

      Kylie admired that Valentina wanted to make a better life for herself and her baby.

      The sound of her own breathing surrounded Kylie as fear mingled with anticipation. The goggles turned the bushes and desert an eerie shade of green. It was the iridescent glow of a human on the move that Kylie searched for.

      A tension wove through the silence.

      “Did we lose him?”

      What sounded like fireworks on the US side erupted not far from them. Kylie thought she saw flashes that could be gunfire off to the east. Her heartbeat revved up. Every muscle tensed, ready for action.

      This was it.

      “Maybe that’s the planned distraction your informant told you about.” Austin ran toward the noise. Kylie sprinted to catch up to him.

      According to Valentina, Garcia’s plan was to create a diversion at one of the checkpoints so he and his henchmen could slip unnoticed across this unmarked area. Maybe Garcia had switched up the locations or maybe Garcia had run into trouble from a rival cartel. In any case, they needed to check it out.

      Austin spoke into his radio. “All rangers. Fall in. Sounds like a gunfight out there.”

      Kylie pushed through the brush in the direction of the disruption. She hurried up a trail littered with garbage bags, dirty diapers and hypodermic needles. This was the path the illegals took once they made it across the river, the debris a testament to the danger of their struggle.

      Because she knew the area better, Kylie took the lead as they sprinted across the desert. By the time the ground leveled out, both of them were out of breath. Still, they rushed into the darkness toward the danger. Her goggles picked up nothing human, no yellow glowing figures.

      Several more shots were fired. She flinched at each shot but kept running.

      As if on cue, both of them ducked down into the sagebrush.

      The quiet settled in as they eased forward toward where the ruckus had taken place.

      Her heart racing, Kylie continued to scan for movement. Then she saw it—a body lying on the ground completely still. She edged in closer and flipped up her goggles. She was near enough now to see details illuminated by moonlight. It was a woman, and a familiar tattoo on her forearm caught Kylie’s eye.

      Dread gripped her throat. “I’m going in to identify.”

      “Kylie, no. The area is still hot.”

      Austin’s words echoed in her head. He was right. Yet, she felt compelled to run toward the lifeless body.

      Her feet pounded the hard desert