Witnessing a murder before lunchtime was not part of Connor Garrison's plans. Play video games with his friends? Certainly. Try to invite the cute girl next door to the Winter Formal? A sure possibility. But seeing someone get a bullet to their brain? Absolutely not. When the killer discovers him, he does the only thing anyone in his position would do. He runs. And now it's Detective and part-time negotiator Gracie Miller's job to find both Connor and the killer running loose in her city, before Connor's body is the next one left in an ally. Gracie usually has a perfect grip on her emotions -it's part of the job description when you're the only negotiator in your department, but this case might be the one to finally drive her to insanity. Gracie and her partner Jackson will have to race against time to put an end to the murders going on in DC and return an innocent teenage boy home safe and sound. And the dead woman in the alley might be their biggest clue.