Callie Martin was about to run into an ambush without even knowing it. She was hungry and needed money to buy lunch. The bank on the corner of Albertson Road seemed as good a place as any.

She was tired and weary, her eyes unfocused. She could barely see in front of her. It had been a long drive from Pleasant Town, Wyoming to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The sun was beating down heavy on the sidewalk as Callie emerged from the cool comfort of her car. She felt the blinding heat pour down on her, as sweat broke out on her brows. Her shirt instantly grew damp with her own perspiration.

She had barely taken two steps when she heard a deep male voice shouting at her. She turned her head in the direction the voice came from. In an instant a barrel of a man came rushing at her like a linebacker during a football game. His thighs were huge. His feet moved against the pavement with quick, deft strides, his tennis shoes thumping urgently in her ears.

She noticed briefly he wore faded jeans and a red shirt that buttoned at the collar. His arms were, like his thighs, muscular and meaty. That’s all she had time to notice when he abruptly thrust her into his arms, jerking her to the ground and rolling on top of her..

At that moment, Callie was knocked breathless, her head hitting the asphalt, causing splinters of pain and bright hot light to flash in her eyes. The she heard the spattering of gunshots as shards of glass rained around her. The body above her remained still, lifeless. She couldn’t feel his breath and it frightened her. She felt the warm trickle of blood as it dripped onto her neck.

Callie began to panic. She pushed at the body on top of her. His dead weight was cutting off her breathing. She cried out. She groaned and moaned, trying to force him away from her. She was certain the man was dead.

The gunshots ceased and nothing remained but a deadly silence. Callie didn’t like the sound of things. She was still struggling when she heard approaching footsteps. Then slowly the body was lifted away and rolled onto his back.

Callie couldn’t think. She heard shouts from all directions. Someone called for an ambulance. Someone claimed he was still alive. She wasn’t sure who they were talking about but she was sure they must have meant the man that had fallen on top of her. She didn’t even know his name.

Callie was numb all the way down to her feet as she struggled to stand. No one seemed to notice her, or even care if she were all right. There was too much activity going on around her. She was growing more confused than ever. All she’d wanted was to eat. She had never expected anything like this. Still in a state of shock, Callie walked in a daze back to her car. Once inside, she closed and locked the door. She sat in her seat silently feeling the blood on her neck. It had started to dry and was becoming sticky.

What had just happened? Callie had no earthly idea. She had driven past a police barricade, but the officer told her everything was fine. He had questioned her, checked her driver’s license and insurance, said that it was a routine check they were doing on all the cars that passed in that direction. He seemed convincing and Callie had no reason not to trust him. So what really happened? Why had she walked into an ambush and nearly gotten herself killed? How could something like this happen? Who was responsible?

Callie’s hands began to shake uncontrollably. No one noticed when she silently drove away.