“She wasn’t in the car,” Marco said. “She must have dropped the package and run. But Dominic, they found her phone. They know she was heading to the bookstore.”

My heart stopped.

“They are on their way to you now,” Marco said.

Through the glass window of the shop, the bright headlights of a black SUV swept across the room.

The tires screeched slightly as the vehicle pulled up to the curb.

The engine idled with a heavy, low rumble.

Two men in dark suits stepped out of the vehicle, their faces obscured by the dim morning light.

Dominic grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward the rear of the shop where Lucia was still coloring.

“Hide her,” he whispered.

The front door of the bookstore began to open.

The glass pane of the front door rattled as the brass handle turned.

I shoved Lucia under the heavy oak desk in the back office.

“Stay here, sweetie,” I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Play a game of quiet mouse for Mommy.”

She nodded, her wide blue-gray eyes reflecting the dim light under the desk.