Lloyd took off.

He sprinted past the playscape, hurdling over a row of orange cones put out by the utility crew. A pair of agents dropped their equipment and gave chase, but Lloyd was surprisingly fast. He skirted around a pair of benches and sprinted straight toward the food truck. He grabbed the arm of a guy standing in line and hurled him to the ground. The ensuing confusion created a swarm of helpful bystanders, and the federal agents had to run around them. Lloyd widened his lead.

“He’s getting away again!” Antonio said.

“Like hell.”

Brandon yanked open the door of the van and jumped out. He darted behind a parked car and crouched down, watching in the side mirror as Lloyd sprinted down the sidewalk toward him, casting a frantic glance over his shoulder.

Brandon leaped out and tackled him. Fire burned up Brandon’s side as they skidded across the sidewalk and crashed into a wall.

“DEA! Freeze!”

Brandon slammed his knee into Lloyd’s ribs as he kept a viselike grip on the man’s arms. Lloyd grunted and bucked like a bull, trying to get Brandon off him.

“I got him, I got him!” an agent yelled, grabbing hold of Lloyd’s wrists.

The jogger in pink jumped into the fray with a pair of handcuffs.

“DEA!” she yelled. “You’re under arrest!”

More undercover agents converged, and Brandon pushed himself to his feet and looked around for any weapons. The female agent slapped the cuffs on as another agent pulled a pistol from the back of Lloyd’s jeans.

Antonio walked over, and one of the male agents glared at him and Brandon, clearly unhappy about having an assist with the takedown. The woman in pink smiled as the two utility crew workers hauled Lloyd to his feet.

“Mr. Michael Lloyd,” she said. “It’s about goddamn time.”

*   *   *

Leigh strolled out of Judge Thielman’s courtroom feeling like she could take on the world. She’d persuaded the ballbuster. He’d granted every one of her motions. It had never happened before, and she couldn’t wait to call Javi.

“Wait, please!” She rushed to catch the elevator and jumped inside just before it closed. “Thank you.”

As she turned to face the door, she noticed the curious looks from the other lawyers and felt them trading glances behind her back.