Guilty By Association

Chapter 1 - Rocha's Girl

One glance at Kelsey Winters’s house and you couldn’t imagine that the woman might be harboring some kind of criminal inside of it. The yard was small, but well-maintained. Her door was shut. The lights were on inside the house, but blinds were shut. Occasionally, a shadow passed the window, confirming that there was someone inside. The house was clean, actually. Alex had no doubt though, that Kelsey was the kind of woman who kept to herself and didn’t associate too much with the neighbors.

He had to admit that her profile didn’t match the kind of woman that Rocha usually went after in the past. Sure, Kelsey matched a few profiles. She was blonde. She was about the right age. She lived alone. But a few things also didn’t match. She wasn’t all that gorgeous, for one. The women that Rocha usually went after were drop-dead gorgeous.

“I want this to be quick.” Alex instructed his team. Beside him, Shay, Dylan, and Erik were all set. They had their bullet proof vests on and their headsets put on. “I don’t want anyone who might be inside to get a chance to escape. I want Kelsey Winters alive.” His team nodded in confirmation. There was no chance for mistakes here. “And I want Caleb Rocha, too. Today could finally be the day we have him.”

“We’re ready, boss.” Shay declared, clutching her Glock in her hands. Dylan and Erik had the same determined, serious expression on their faces.

“Okay.” Alex nodded, taking a deep breath. Anxiety filled him. His heart was racing but he knew that today wasn’t the say to get nervous. Today was the day to make things right. “I want Erik and Dylan to take the back of the house. Shay and I will take the front. I want everyone to be on their guard. There should be no surprises.”

Erik and Dylan nodded, accepting their order. Erik had joined Alex’s team right from the start. They’d been working together the longest. A couple years later, Shay joined the team. She’d previously been a part of the LA Police Department. LAPD. Dylan was the newest addition to the team but still very trust-worthy. Overall, this was good team and this was his team. It was Alex’s responsibility to make sure that each and every person on his team got home in one piece, just as good as they were when they got here.

“Okay. Go to the back. When I say, break in.” Alex ordered.

“Got it.” Dylan and Erik said. Alex and Shay hurried over to the front door as quietly as they could. They hurried over to cover the back of the house while Shay and Alex went to the front door.

“When I say go, okay?” Alex whispered into the microphone. There had been some shuffling inside the house, but that suddenly stopped and the house had gone eerily quiet, which wasn’t very encouraging for him, but he didn’t intend to back down. This kind of scene was exactly what Alex had been training for. “Go!”

At Alex’s orders, the front door swung open and Alex and Shay sauntered inside, both their guns positioned to fire. "FBI!"

“Kitchen…Clear!” Erik’s voice echoed through the house.

“Living Room…Clear!” Shay called.

“Bathroom…Clear!” Dylan called. Alex scanned the house and the team tore it apart, inspecting each and every bedroom, bathroom, and closet.

“There’s no one here.” Shay was the first to speak. “It’s all empty.” Her eyes scanned the house once more, as if she was expecting someone to pop out of nowhere, but nothing had happened.

“Impossible.” Alex declared. “I saw shadows inside. She’s in here. There must be a trap door, a secret room. Something. There’s no way she just vanished into thin air. I expect to find her.” Alex looked around, his eyes landing on a closet right by the front door. The door had been covered by the front door when we opened it.