“The man was likely armed—all of Kishiyama’s people were—but Sean prayed he’d caught the individual by surprise.”

Safeguard releases across the globe today! And to celebrate, here’s an exclusive action-scene excerpt from chapter 18 of John A. Daly’s novel. Enjoy!

The kitchen and control room didn’t have doors, so Sean ran down the hallway toward the living quarters, checking the first and second rooms on the left. Both were locked, and Kishiyama’s people still had his keys. A room further down the hallway was typically blocked by a locked chain-link gate, but its padlock had been removed. Sean crashed through the gate, swinging it open hard. When it collided with the adjacent wall, he caught movement inside the room he was barreling toward.

The lone voice he’d heard before—it had belonged to the tall figure that was now scurrying behind tall shelving overflowing with binders. The man was likely armed—all of Kishiyama’s people were—but Sean prayed he’d caught the individual by surprise. The cement walls may have subdued the sound of gunshots. At least that’s what Sean told himself as he skirted the open door and slid past the first row of shelves.

He kicked an expanded folding chair out of his way and rushed by an old desk covered with electronics and other clutter. His uninjured shoulder collided with the back wall as he tore around the third row of wooden shelving. With his hands out in front of him to cover his face from a potential gunshot, he lunged toward the figure who’d backed himself into a dead-end in front of two tall file cabinets.

But just as he was about to level the man, Sean’s eyes bulged and his arms shot out to catch himself along the wall and shelving. Two tiny, alert eyes were staring back at him from the man’s arms. They belonged to the infant daughter of the man who’d just been killed.

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