Page 12

CHAPTER 12

“ W e were right,” Olive murmured as she stared at the message. “That guy wanted to lure us away. He wants this USB drive.”

“Olive . . .” Nova crossed her arms over her chest as they stared at the mirror. “If that guy left this message, then he was just here.”

Olive sucked in a breath. “And he could still be close.”

This was their chance to catch him.

Wasting no more time, Olive and Nova flew from the room, down the stairs, and outside.

Hotel guests remained gathered in the parking lot, waiting to go back inside. Four fire trucks still surrounded the building, lights flashing. The irritating wail of the fire alarm still sounded in the distance.

Where was Motorcycle Man?

Olive paused on the sidewalk, Nova beside her, and scanned her surroundings.

What if Motorcycle Man had joined the crowd and was simply watching them right now? Maybe he even felt a measure of delight at all the trouble they’d gone through.

Or what if he wanted to corner them and force them to hand over this USB drive?

Those were all possibilities.

Nova leaned closer. “Anything?”

Olive shook her head. “Not yet.”

“He couldn’t have gotten very far away,” Nova said.

“I agree. But since we don’t even know what his face looks like, it’s going to be hard to pick him out.”

Just as she said those words, an engine revved in the distance.

Olive recognized the sound from earlier—from when she’d almost been run over.

She craned her neck to the sound, bracing herself for trouble.

A motorcycle pulled from the hotel parking lot. The driver stopped just long enough to send them a look.

A look meant to intimidate.

Olive’s breath caught.

“It’s him,” she hissed to Nova. “Motorcycle Man.”

“What’s he doing?” Nova asked. “I can’t see his license plate!”

Olive strained to get a glimpse, but she couldn’t see it either.

“He’s sending a message,” Olive told Nova. “He’s letting us know he’s not done with us yet.”

Olive stared back, needing to let him know she wasn’t done with him yet either.

An hour later, the fire trucks left, and all the hotel guests were allowed back inside.

As Olive walked past the front desk, she grabbed the bag of Chinese food waiting there. Her name was on it, and the top was still stapled shut.

Olive and Nova went back to Olive’s room. The first thing they did was to check it out more thoroughly—just in case any more surprises or bugs had been left.

They found nothing.

Knowing that, the two of them settled on the couch, cardboard boxes of food in front of them.

Olive’s moo goo gai pan was lukewarm but edible. The scents of chicken, soy, and steamed vegetables filled the air, making her stomach rumble.

“I’m so hungry,” Nova murmured. “It’s such a travesty that our food isn’t fresh anymore.”

“Just a travesty.” Olive resisted an eye roll.

They dug into their food. Olive wanted to dive back into the investigation, but she gave Nova a few minutes to eat first.

“You know, I’ve been thinking lately,” Nova started, her mouth full of rice. “I think you and Mitzi would be perfect at doing cosplay with me.”

Cosplay was another of Nova’s loves.

“Oh, yeah?” Olive was curious where she was going with this.

“Yes, I think you’d be perfect as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider.”

Olive practically wanted to snort. “Yes, because I look so much like Angelina Jolie.”

“Exactly.” Nova didn’t seem to get her joke. “And Mitzi would be perfect as Black Widow, especially with that chokehold move she does and her brilliant use of feminine wiles.”

“I could see that.” Olive bit into a piece of chicken. “Who are you dressing up like lately?”

“Harley Quinn, of course.” Nova did actually roll her eyes. “She’s the best.”

“Of course,” Olive echoed with amusement.

It was time to change the subject. Nova had eaten enough to at least settle her hunger.

“Okay, let’s talk about this case again. Can you check the security footage to see if we can figure out who that guy was?” Olive asked. “It would be nice to have a face.”

“Let me see what I can do.” Nova set her container of fried rice down and grabbed her computer. She typed several things before grunting. “This is weird.”

“What’s weird?” Olive paused with her container in hand. “It’s all blank.”

Olive winced. “How is that possible?”

“It’s possible because someone knew what they were doing. This guy—or whoever was helping him—turned off the cameras when he came in and pulled the alarm.”

Olive leaned back into the couch. “So he’s smarter than I’ve given him credit for.”

“Apparently.”

Her thoughts raced. This wasn’t the way she’d seen this assignment going.

This man could be a serious problem.