Suddenly, the front door of the ranch house rattled.

The sound of glass shattering echoed from the hallway.

Someone else was trying to get in.

The deputy spun toward the sound, his flashlight beam slicing through the dark.

“Sheriff’s department! Stay where you are!” he yelled.

A shadow sprinted past the window outside.

It wasn’t a deputy.

I recognized the light color of the coat.

It was Yasmin.

She had followed the police here.

“Mark!” she screamed from the porch. “Mark, you have to help me!”

Mark’s face twisted in rage.

He lunged toward the hallway, pushing past the deputy.

“You betrayed me!” Mark roared.

The deputy tackled him to the floor, the sound of their bodies hitting the hardwood echoing through the house.

A lamp fell and shattered in the darkness.

I scrambled back against the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Ana reached out and pulled me toward the kitchen.

“Come on,” she whispered. “We need to get you outside.”

In the hallway, the struggle continued.

Mark was cursing, his voice muffled as the deputy tried to restrain him.