Acknowledgments

As always, I offer a heart-felt thank-you to Kevin Stevens, former deputy chief of the US Border Patrol. Kevin, thank you for taking time from your busy life to field my questions. Your insights and feedback are invaluable and certainly made this book more authentic and much better.

Thanks to the people at Midnight Ink: To Terri Bischoff, for believing in Peyton Cote; to Beth Hanson, for all you do to promote my work; and to my editor Nicole Nugent, who is simply the best in the business. Period.

To Julia Lord and Ginger Curwen, my agents: Thanks for having my back and for your unwavering belief in me. Thanks to Kim Sprankle, for reading my drafts.

And to the home team, Lisa, Delaney, Audrey, and Keeley: This, and everything, is for you.