“Mark? Mark, what was that?” she called out.

I ignored her and looked for Luis.

Luis emerged from the side office with a heavy flashlight in his hand.

“Step back, sir,” Luis said, his voice remarkably calm.

The intruder looked disheveled, his eyes darting around the polished lobby.

“Where is Luke?” the man demanded, his voice thick with panic.

“He owes twenty grand, and his wife said she left the kids here with the pilot.”

Luis held his ground, raising the heavy metal flashlight.

“The police have already been dispatched,” Luis said.

“You need to leave the premises immediately.”

The man took a step forward, the metal crowbar scraping against the tile.

Then, the sound of sirens echoed from the street outside.

The red and blue lights swept across the shattered glass.

The intruder cursed, dropped the crowbar, and bolted back out into the humid Miami night.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I picked up my phone from the floor.

Linda was still on the line, her breathing heavy.

“Was that them?” she whispered.

“They found you, didn’t they?”

“This is over, Mother,” I said, my voice cold.