Josephine stood in tears clutching a battered wooden rocking horse covered in marker scribbles as Grandfather Robert shoved it toward her, laughing bitterly with Clara that the ruined toy was a perfect match for the little girl.

The black, armored SUVs rolled out of the underground garage, their heavy tires cutting through the fresh, powdery snow. Bennett sat behind the wheel of the lead vehicle, wearing a tactical vest over his crisp dress shirt. The windows were heavily tinted, completely obscuring the empty back seat where Silas believed Josephine was sitting. Two blocks away, Graves watched the convoy approach through the scope of a high-powered rifle. He lay on the frozen rooftop of a parking garage, his breath pluming in the freezing air. "Target acquired," Graves muttered into his comms unit. "They are approaching the intersection. Deploy the roadblock." Down on the street level, a heavy commercial garbage truck suddenly pulled out from an alleyway, completely blocking the snow-covered intersection. Bennett slammed on the brakes, the massive SUV skidding to a halt just inches from the truck's steel bumper. "It's a trap!" Silas yelled into the radio from the surveillance van, his voice vibrating with sick excitement. "Hit them now!" Graves squeezed the trigger. A specialized armor-piercing round shattered the engine block of Bennett's SUV, killing the vehicle instantly. The second SUV behind Bennett was immediately boxed in by two unmarked black sedans. "Get the girl!" Silas screamed, scrambling out of the van with a handgun clutched in his trembling fingers. "Drag her out into the snow!" But as Silas ran toward the disabled vehicles, the doors of the second SUV blew open.