He did notice that her head was bent at an awkward angle that would leave a nasty ache in her neck when she woke up. He decided that the gentlemanly thing to do was to shake her slightly so she could readjust her position. So he opened the glass door, bent down, and gave her a gentle jostle on her shoulder. Her skin was wet. He looked down and saw that her clothes were too, along with the shower floor. He gave her another little shove. She didnt reactat all.

Thats when Cord noticed that she wasnt breathing. Panic welled up inside him but he managed to force it down long enough to remember the CPR training from his junior lifeguard days. He got out his phone, dialed 911, put it on speaker, and rested it on the shower bench. Then he moved beside her and prepared to start compressions.

He was about to press down on her chest for the first time when he noticed something else. Her neck wasnt just bent awkwardly. It was lolling to the side sloppily, as if there was nothing supporting it. If he didnt know better hed think it was broken.

It was just as the 911 operator came on the line that he realized it was. Thats when he began to scream.

CHAPTER ONE

Jessie Hunt officially gave up on sleep at 5:10 a.m.

Shed been awake since four anyway and there didnt seem to be any point in lying in bed, especially today. So she got up and quietly made her way out to the kitchen to start the coffee.

Jessies half-sister, Hannah, wasnt an early riser under any circumstances, but certainly not on a Sunday morning. And since shed just started her senior year of high school, weekends were especially precious to her. Jessie did her best to be respectful of that, if for no other reason than to keep the peace.

It was easier to avoid accidentally waking anyone up since the big move. It had been a month since theyd left the apartment of Jessies best friend, Kat, and started to settle in at the house Jessie had inherited from her mentor and friend, Garland Moses. There was lots more space and the walls were thicker.

The new house had an added benefit. As a one-story home formerly occupied by a long-widowed senior citizen, it was already well-designed for people with mobility challenges. That was a major plus considering that Jessies boyfriend, LAPD Detective Ryan Hernandez, was coming home today.

Nearly six weeks after being stabbed in the chest by Jessies ex-husband and four weeks after being taken out of a medically induced coma and removed from a ventilator, hed been given approval to leave the hospital. Jessies excitement when Dr. Badalia gave her the news was tempered by his warning that the hardest part of Ryans recovery had yet to begin.