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Jax had checked Wally’s car for a tracking device and hadn’t found one. That meant they were tracking me via my phone, which I’d kept on for the time being because I didn’t want to alert them that anything was out of the ordinary. Jax had kept his tracking device where it was, as well. They’d see he was on the way to the hotel just like he was supposed to be.

Jax had also checked everyone else’s cars and found no tracking devices. He’d check the cars again tonight before they left the hotel, just in case. But for now, it meant the focus remained exclusively on me. However, once I slipped through their fingers, they’d likely try to track my friends to find me. By then, it would be too late. We’d have gone dark.

All part of the plan…I hoped.

During the drive, Wally and Frankie chatted nonstop, likely to keep my nerves from fraying. My fingers itched to open my laptop to find out whether my father had sent the riddle yet, telling me when and where I could meet him. But my email would certainly be monitored, so I had to wait until I could take special precautions and be safe. Besides, I wasn’t sure my dad would contact me via laptop. Maybe he’d use a phone? Email? Pigeon? There were so many options, and I had no clue what he had in mind, which meant I had to be ready for every contingency.

“Did you hear me, Angel?” Wally asked.

I blinked. Had he been talking to me? “Ah, sorry, Wally, I missed that last part. What did you say?”

“I said after I drop you and Frankie off at your mom’s apartment, I’m going to go by my house and hang out for a while. I’ll plan to be at the roller rink by ten thirty p.m., and I’ll park a couple of blocks away. Sound good?”

“Sounds good.” I shifted in my seat so I could see Frankie in the back. Mr. Toodles was snuggled in her lap, fast asleep while she stroked his fur. Traitor. It was entirely possible he loved her more than me.

“Wally, can you keep Mr. Toodles with you?” I said. “I can’t leave him behind in the apartment since we won’t be returning, and we can’t take him to the roller rink.”

“Sure, Mr. Toodles and I are tight. I’ll just tell my parents I’m dog-sitting tonight. He’ll have to wait a little bit in the car while I meet up with you girls at the rink, but it’s November and cool, so he should be fine.”

“There’s a special treat for him to chew on him in the bag with his supplies,” I said. “You’ll also have to keep Frankie’s and my suitcases and equipment, too. We need to travel light tonight.”

“So I’m vet, valet, and chauffer,” he quipped.

I laughed. “You forgot getaway driver. You’re the best. Thanks, Wally. I know I said this already, but I really appreciate you and Frankie sticking with me and helping me out.”

“Did youreallydoubt we would, Angel?” Frankie asked. “This is your mother we’re talking about. Wally, you should know I’m also prepared to sub as the getaway driver if they try and follow us. I spent two hours in the simulator this afternoon refining my technique after our on-road lesson the other day. I’m revved and ready to go. I know I could lose them if I had to.”

Wally’s face blanched, and since I couldn’t see how he could respond appropriately, I changed the subject. “Frankie, I asked the team for a huge leap of faith here. For everyone to fall in so quickly behind me…I didn’t expect that.”

“Why not?” Frankie reached for her water bottle and took a drink. “Why wouldn’t you expect that?”

“Well, because this is personal.”

Wally jumped in, waving his hand. “Personal, smersonal. Friends stick together. Don’t you get it, Angel? We’re not just a team anymore. We’re friends. And that means something in terms of trust.”

“Couldn’t have said it better,” Frankie agreed.

It was a hard concept for me to grasp, but I’d keep trying. “I guess you’re right.”

Wally dropped Frankie and me off at my mom’s apartment complex. After giving Mr. Toodles a quick kiss, I closed the car door and Wally drove off with Mr. Toodles watching us from the rear window with a worried expression, his tiny paws clicking on the window.

“Don’t forget, anything we say will be overheard,” I reminded Frankie as we headed inside. “Stay concerned, but let’s play up the possibility my mom is staying with a friend, so that’s why we haven’t called the police yet. I’ll make a few calls to her friends to make it more believable. Then, make a big deal of taking me out tonight for teen night at the roller rink. You want to cheer me up, celebrate an unexpected week off school, blah, blah, blah. I’ll resist a bit, so you’ll have to talk me into it. Remember to remind me to take a few things in my purse so we can stay at your house tonight if we decide to do that.”

“Understood,” Frankie said. “You know, Angel, this might have been kind of exciting if your mom’s life wasn’t at stake. I guess this is our first real mission.”

“We just have to make sure it’s asuccessfulmission.”

“We will.” Frankie’s normally easygoing expression tightened. “We’re going to get your mom back, and whoever took her is going down. I mean that.”

“Now you’re scaring me.” I tried to say it playfully, but my throat got tight because I could tell my best friend meant every word.

“Good,” she said as we started up the stairs. “Because I’m normally a nice person, but nobody messes with my friends.”

Chapter Seventeen

ANGEL SINCLAIR

I may have a high IQ, but I don’t always have the best ideas.