Chapter 1: The Dead Man’s Switch
The red light pulsed like a digital heartbeat.
Blink. One second. Blink. Two seconds.
Cade remained perfectly still on his knees, his eyes tracing the thick yellow and blue wires that snaked across the child’s small back. The device was ugly, amateurish in its exterior but terrifyingly deliberate in its construction. Two blocks of grey clay-like substance were taped flat against a plastic backboard. A digital receiver sat on top, its antenna protruding just below the collar of Mia’s shirt.
And beneath all of it, right at the base of her spine, was a spring-loaded pressure plate.
"Don't move, kid," Cade whispered, his voice dangerously calm. "Whatever you do, do not sit down. Don't lean back. Just stay exactly as you are."
Sarah, the waitress, dropped the coffee pot. It shattered against the black-and-white checkered floor, sending hot dark liquid splashing across Cade’s heavy leather boots. Sarah didn't even notice. She had both hands clapped over her mouth, her eyes wide with absolute, paralyzing terror.
"Oh my god," Sarah choked out, stepping backward. "Oh my god, Cade. Is that—"
"Lock the doors," Cade ordered, not looking away from the device. "Right now, Sarah. Lock the front door, pull the deadbolt on the kitchen exit. Flip the open sign to closed and turn off the exterior neon."
"I need to call the police," Sarah gasped, reaching into her apron for her phone.
"No!" Cade barked, his voice cracking like a whip. Sarah froze. Cade softened his tone, forcing himself to breathe evenly so the terrified little girl wouldn't go into shock. "Look at the receiver, Sarah. It’s wired to a burner phone taped to the battery pack. If a squad car rolls into this parking lot with its sirens on, or if the people in that van see blue lights, they dial the number. The signal triggers the cap."
Mia let out a small, high-pitched whimper, hugging the teddy bear tighter to her chest. "My legs are getting tired."
"I know, sweetheart," Cade said gently. He slowly reached out, placing his large, heavily tattooed hands on her shoulders. "You're doing so good. You're the bravest kid I've ever met. What's your name?"
"M-Mia," she stuttered.
"Mia. I'm Cade. I'm going to take care of this, okay? But you have to trust me."
Cade carefully leaned around her, pulling out his own battered cell phone. He dialed the ten-digit number written in thick black marker on the cardboard scrap taped to her back. He put the phone to his ear.
The diner was dead quiet. Outside, the rain lashed heavily against the large plate-glass windows. The neon 'Diner' sign buzzed, blinked, and then died as Sarah hit the breaker switch behind the counter. The room was plunged into dim, practical light, casting long shadows across the empty booths. It was 2:00 AM on a Tuesday. There was no one else in the diner. Just Cade, Sarah, and Mia.
The phone rang twice. Then, a sharp click.
"I see the neon went dark, Cade," a raspy, metallic voice said through the speaker. "Smart move. Cops are bad for everyone's health right now."