"Keep walking, Izzy," I say, forcing my voice to stay steady, to sound stronger than I feel.
"They're calling your name," Izzy whispers, her voice full of confusion as she glances over her shoulder.
"Dani, stop!"
The second officer’s voice is deeper, louder, cutting through the air like a command rather than a request.
"Dani?" Izzy shrieks, fear tightening around the word.
"It’s okay, Baby," I say, my voice strained, desperate. "Just keep walking."
I glance over my shoulder just as the younger officer breaks into a slow jog toward us, his footsteps pounding in the silence.
"Izzy," I whisper, my heart pounding as I pick up the pace. "Run!"
"She's running!" I hear the first officer shout, his voice gaining ground as he, too, begins to run. The pounding of footsteps behind us grows louder. Izzy and I sprint together, the front door of the building barely ahead.
We're about a hundred feet away when I see a strong arm wrap around Izzy, yanking her away from me.
"Let go of her!" I scream, my voice raw with desperation.
In seconds, the older officer is there, too. I watch in horror as my baby sister is handed off to him like a quarterback making a pass, my heart breaking with every second.
They're pulling her away from me, and within moments, my hand slips from hers.
"No!" I scream, my voice cracking. "She's my sister!"
The younger officer steps in close, grabbing my arm with a tight grip. "Why did you run?" he asks, his voice annoyingly calm. "Calm down so we can talk."
His calmness only fuels the fire inside me, my rage boiling over in waves.
"Let me go!" I demand, struggling against his hold. "Let us go!"
Izzy is crying now. Big, round tears streak down her face, her tiny hands reaching for me, but the cop’s grip on her won’t loosen.
"How old are you?" the officer asks, his fingers digging into my skin. "Are you a runaway?"
"Let go of me!" I scream, my chest tightening, suffocating with the weight of fear and anger. Tears blur my vision, and my heart hammers in my ears.
Through the haze of panic, I see the first officer walking away with Izzy in his arms.
"No, no, please!" I beg, my voice breaking. "Don't take my sister. Bring her back. Bring her back!"
But my pleas are drowned out by the distance growing between us. Before I can think twice, I sink my teeth into the officer’s forearm, biting down hard. I feel the skin tear and the rush of warm blood in my mouth. For one fleeting moment, he releases me. That’s all I need.
I dash toward Izzy, launching myself at the cop carrying her away. I claw, scratch, pull at his hair, anything to get him to let her go. But with a swift motion, he pushes me off like I’m nothing.
I feel my body lift off the ground, flying through the air in slow motion, Izzy’s panicked screams slicing through the chaos. I hit the pavement hard, my head cracking against the concrete with a sickening thud. The world spins. My vision blurs. Pain explodes through my skull, then everything begins to fade.
Through the haze, I see the officer I bit kneeling beside me, his face a mask of concern, blood streaming from his arm.
"Bring her back, please," I whisper. "She's all I have."
And just before everything goes black, I catch one last thing—the name on his badge:Callahan.
Chapter 1
Danielle
