That was it.

María didn’t think. A mother’s instinct surged forward like a wildfire.

“¡LUCÍA!”

Her scream sliced through the quiet street.

Everything happened at once:
Lucía flinched.
The man jolted upright.
María sprinted, breathless, heart pounding against her ribs like it wanted out.

She reached them, grabbed her daughter, and yanked her behind her body like a shield.

“Step away from my daughter,” she hissed, “or I swear I will call the police this second.”

Her shaking hand hovered over the call button.
9…
Her thumb trembled over the 1.