“Well, that about wraps it up, sir.” The young officer shut his notebook and returned it to his front shirt pocket, offering a curt nod as thanks. “Wait,” Marcus said. “Do you know anything? How did this happen? What’s the plan? My wife and two kids were inside–” The policeman lifted his palm in a ...

Esme’s vision narrowed, shadows pushing in from all sides. Her heart galloped and flailed at her ribs, almost as if it wanted out. She knew she was hyperventilating, but wasn’t able to catch her breath. She tried to remember the breathing exercises her therapist had taught her so many months ago, but panic drew a ...

Sobs ripped through Sofia’s chest as she fell back into the hot, white sand. Mama and the babies were inside. Inside. Dad was still at the pool when the concrete mammoth slammed to the ground. The beach was full of people. She couldn’t focus. Wails and shrieks swirled around her, muffled and distant. The guy ...

“So, Derek, first you want to heat the pan to medium,” said the lady on the TV with the too-big hair. Simon watched through dull eyes as she plopped a large saucepan onto a stove and lit the flame.  He pulled at the scratchy T-shirt his mom had given him to change into. Bright green ...

Esme stared out at the water from her poolside lounge chair. She remembered loving the wicker seating when she found The Paradise online, but now the rigid weave dug into her thighs. She sensed Marcus’s eyes boring into her from a few chairs away and refused to look at him, her grip tightened on the ...

As the sun rose over the horizon, Lexi turned the wheel of her Focus and repressed a grimace at the terrifying squeal of too-old axles. She pulled up to a guard station big enough for one, stuccoed and painted light coral.  How is it possible this guard shack looks 100 times better than my own ...

“This is like a CASTLE!” shouted Matty as he ran through the lobby of the Paradise, a high-rise beachside condominium complex. The lobby atrium towered above his head and filtered bright sunlight down onto plush seats, carefully arranged tropical plants and opulent water features.  “Stay close!” yelled Marcus through the automatic glass doors as he ...

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Jacobs. He’s gotta go.”  Lexi Jacobs sent waves of ire back over the rickety desk and squeezed the faded gray upholstery that surrounded the arms of her chair. Her back stiffened as anger flooded her capillaries and reddened her pale skin. She aimed her glare at the daycare owner’s limp yellow hair ...

Esme pulled a deep breath in through her nose and blew it out slowly with pursed lips. She heard the baby retch behind her. Her seatbelt slid over her as she unbuckled and made the awkward climb into the Toyota Sienna’s middle row. Esme flashed a quick, grim smile at her son Matty, but he ...

Lightning pain wrenched her from a terrible dream, a nightmare painted with a sudden plunge and screaming terror. But consciousness was worse. Much worse. She tried to drag air into her ragged lungs and cried out, though all that sounded through the haze was a raspy squeak. She felt an invisible grip around her torso ...