Act I Emily Walker was still trying to push herself out of the mud when Derek Miles kicked her in the back. She had slipped less than a second earlier, her combat boots…

Act I Olivia Hart was still clutching the pickup keys when her father kicked her to the ground. The old truck stood beside her trailer, its faded paint damp with morning mist, a…

Act I The laptop was halfway out of Hannah Lee’s backpack when she grabbed it with both hands. “Dad, no! You can’t take that!” Ed Lee tightened his grip on the new computer….

Act I The pay envelope had barely touched Katie Brooks’s hands when her father reached across the convenience-store counter and tried to rip it away. “Give it to me.” Katie clutched the envelope…

Act I The old sewing machine was almost at the front door when Nora Evans threw herself into her father’s path. “Put it down, Dad. Please!” Doug Evans stopped with the machine gripped…

Act I The phone was still clutched in Carl Allen’s fist when his daughter crashed into a row of sewing chairs. Thread spools scattered across the factory floor. One rolled beneath a long…

Act I The cash box was still trapped beneath Claire Wilson’s hands when her father kicked her in the chest. She crashed backward beside a stack of vegetable crates, sending egg trays rattling…

Act I The car keys skidded across the garage floor just as Rachel Turner hit the tool chest. Wrenches rattled against metal. A socket rolled beneath an old sedan, and the half-open rolling…

Act I Mia Collins was still reaching for her rent envelope when her father kicked her again. The late-night laundromat smelled of detergent and damp clothes. Cold fluorescent lights flickered above rows of…