CHAPTER ONE: The Road That Forgot People
The northern edge of Cascara County wasn’t a place people drove for fun.
The Blackridge foothills swallowed sound.
The fog swallowed headlights.
And the road had a reputation for swallowing people.
Deputy Mark Halden had been in uniform long enough to stop believing danger came with a warning label.
Fourteen years on the job teaches you one thing fast:
Most threats look ordinary until they’re not.
His partner tonight was Officer Lena Crowe, fresh out of the academy.
Sharp. Alert. Still carrying that tight posture of someone determined to prove she belongs.
In the back, separated by reinforced mesh, paced K9 Rook.
