was on a quest for justice, thinking if he caught enough bad guys he could appease his father’s tragic and senseless death. This story is about doing the right thing for all the wrong reasons and about sacrificing what could have been for what needed to be.
Together, these two tormented characters came together one dark night and decided to find the truth by helping each other. Sometimes, it seems we are plunged into darkness and that God does not hear our pleas. But He leaves signs along the way to guide us. Like Ryder and Emma, we have to listen, search and be open to those signs. They both found the justice they were seeking, and their sacrifices finally paid off.
I hope you look for the light at the end of the darkness and watch for the signs that the Lord sends. I hope you enjoyed going on this quest with Emma and Ryder. And if you’ve never been to Texas, then what are you waiting for?
Until next time, may the angels watch over you. Always.
Lenora Worth
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
—Proverbs 14:26
In memory of all the children who don’t find their way home. You are not forgotten.
Contents
Detective Ryder Palladin listened to the grit and static of the scanner and hit a fist against the steering wheel of the rusty, old undercover vehicle. He was hot and tired and full of bad coffee. “Daughtry, come in.”
He’d been sitting in this broken-up, weed-infested parking lot in the armpit of downtown Dallas for the better part of an hour, waiting to see if Daughtry could get their man. Petey Smith was low on the ladder to drug lord success, a gofer really. And as squirrelly as a back-alley rodent. He’d squeal before they slammed the bars on his jail cell.
If Daughtry ever signaled that he had him.
His younger, overly confident partner’s voice finally came through on Ryder’s earbud. “What’s the matter, cowboy? Miss me?”
“Just report,” Ryder growled back, ready to get home. His partner, Pierce Daughtry, had joined Vice two years ago when the man had been extremely wet behind
