Chapter 1 - The Tactical Response
The interior of the Peterbilt semi-truck smelled of stale coffee, diesel fuel, and the comforting heat blasting from the dashboard vents. Eli was buried under a heavy plaid wool blanket, his small body finally stopping its violent shivering. I held the driver’s phone against my ear, my eyes fixed on the darkness outside. My military background—twelve years in Air Force Combat Rescue and tactical intelligence—meant my brain didn't process panic the way normal people did. It processed data.
"Dispatch, this is Captain Avery Vance," I said, my voice cutting through the static with absolute clarity. "I am reporting an aggravated child abandonment and grand larceny. Location is Highway 95, approximately fifteen miles north of Tonopah. Suspects are driving a 2022 silver Ford F-150, Nevada plates Echo-Xray-4-2-9-7."
