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Mike paused for a moment. “He said she’s a loose end and he’s going to kill her.”

Chapter Forty-Three

ANGEL SINCLAIR

I gasped. Jax put a hand over mine, squeezing. “Stay focused,” he said softly. “She’ll be okay. Stay here and keep trying to pick up voices. I’m going to check out something on the side of the house.”

I nodded, and he slipped away. Just then a light came on in a room on the left side of the house. The windows in the room weren’t shaded, and the light clearly illuminated the room. Two men entered, one of them wearing a ski mask.

“They’ve moved to the back of house,” I whispered. “I see two guys. Sampson must be wearing the mask, because I don’t recognize the other guy. He’s bald, shorter than Sampson, and very muscular.”

“Do you see your mom?” Kira asked.

“No, but my mic is picking up voices. Stand by.”

I adjusted a dial and heard the voices come through. It was hard to understand because the two men were talking over each other. I could make out someone saying “she’s gone” and “find her.”

“I think my mom escaped,” I said, my heart pounding. “They can’t find her.”

The muscular guy spoke. “You look inside the house. I’ll go outside and check the perimeter.”

OMG! Things had gone from bad to worse. Both men exited the room, leaving the light on. I heard the muscular man say on the way out, “That woman is dead the second I find her. No more waiting around.”

“They’re going to kill her if they find her,” I said, trying not to panic. “And the bald guy is coming outside. Now.”

“I see him,” Mike hissed. “Take cover, everyone.”

“Radio silence,” Kira ordered. “Immediately.”

I took off my headphones for the laser mic and froze in place. I wasn’t sure what to do. I scanned the yard for Jax but saw nothing. I hoped he’d heard what was happening and was hiding. Then, at the edge of my vision, I saw something move in the dark beneath the bedroom window.

A dark figure hunched over.

Jax? Bald Guy? My mom?

The more I studied it, the more I thought it was my mom. But how could I be sure? Without actually thinking about it, I started crawling toward the shadow. As I got closer, I got a better view of the figure. It seemed as if it were struggling with something on the ground. But one thing was immediately clear. The figure was too small to be Jax or Bald Guy.

I crawled a little faster, and a branch cracked under my knee. The figure froze, lifting their head.

“Mom?” I whispered.

There was a pause, and then I heard an uncertain, “Angel?”

I reached her, scuttling the last few feet until I was able to throw my arms around her. “Mom, are you okay?” Tears were sliding down my face, blurring my vision.

“Angel, what on earth are you doing here?” she whispered. “You have to get out of here. It’s a very dangerous situation.”

“I know. We’re getting out of here together. Can you walk?”

“Not well. They tied my feet.”

On closer inspection, I saw the zip ties around her ankles. Unfortunately, I wasn’t carrying a knife or scissors in my pocket. “Can you crawl?” I asked.

“I can try,” she whispered.

“Good, let’s go.”

We started crawling slowly back to where I’d left the laser mic. Everything in me was screaming that we had to hurry, but I could only go as fast as my mom. We were just in sight of the tree line when a flashlight clicked on, blinding both us. I was so startled, I gave a small yelp.