Valen

Prologue

Graciela would do everything and anything in her power to save her baby girl from those monsters. She was driving seventy-five miles per hour on County highway toward Camden, New Jersey. The speed limit was only forty-five and she was sure to catch the eye of a policeman if she passed one, but all she could think about was getting her precious baby to safety. The Stredviks were close behind her, and she was not going to allow them to get their murderous hands on her sweet baby girl. Graciela decided to give her baby away. It was a sacrifice that she would have to make in order to save her daughter.

After renting a car at the Philadelphia International airport, Graciela had called her sister Sofia from one of the cheap prepaid cell phones that she had brought with her. She told Sofia to meet her in the Central Business District of Camden. She didn't want to go to her sisters' home and take a chance on the Stredviks finding out where Sofia and William, her brother-in-law, reside. After speaking with Sofia, Graciela threw the phone into a trash receptacle right outside the airport on her way to the rental car. She didn't want the Stredviks tracking her phone with one of their fancy surveillance devices.

Graciela arrived at their arranged meeting place two minutes earlier than expected, and Sofia and William were already waiting for them. She brought the car to an abrupt stop next to William's truck. Graciela jumped out of the car, and quickly took the infant seat from the back of the car that held her peacefully sleeping baby. She reluctantly handed the seat over to Sofia. She then grabbed the two duffel bags with baby clothes and other baby items, and handed them over to William.

Graciela walked over to Sofia who was still holding the infant seat. "I'll keep in touch the best I can," she told Sofia before giving her a tight hug. "Thank you for taking her. I know you'll love her like your own."

"I will. Do you have any idea when you'll get to come back?" Sofia asked.

"No. I can't contact you or come back here until I know it's completely safe."

"Okay. Please be careful," Sofia said. Tears were welling up in her eyes. She was worried for her sister, her only sister.

"I will," Graciela told her before looking down at her sleeping baby. "I'm sorry I have to leave you sweet-pea, but it's for the best. I'll see you as soon as possible baby girl." She gave her daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead. A moment later she jumped back into the rental car and quickly sped away.   

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Copyright © 2019, R.J. Snow

Cover Art by Coka\www.shutterstock.com

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieved system, without prior written permission of the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Any names, places, characters, and incidents are a product of the author's imagination and are purely fictitious. Any resemblances to any persons, living or dead, any place or events is purely coincidental.