This gripping crime thriller plunges readers into the sun-soaked yet shadowy underbelly of Florida’s Gulf Coast, where paradise masks a thriving human trafficking ring operating beneath the city’s surface. The story interweaves the fates of Alena Hernandez, a vulnerable college freshman; Nicole Beemer, a relentless detective haunted by her own family tragedy; and Colton “Colt” Flynn, a battle-scarred, recently retired SWAT officer drawn back into danger by loyalty and unfinished business. Colt Flynn, a decorated SWAT veteran and Nicole Beemer’s former field training officer, is reluctantly pulled from retirement when he receives a desperate call for help. Beemer, knowing she can’t trust her own department, had arranged for a friend to contact Colt if she went missing. Realizing the danger Beemer faces and the rot within the system, Colt assembles a team of trusted allies—including his old SWAT partner Bear Bennet, DHS Agent Tim, tech-savvy hacker, Mo and anti-government gun nut, Ben—to mount an off-the-books rescue.