Page 88 of Enigma

In her quest for answers about her family, about her mother, had she put everyone she cared about in danger? Tevin, who’d flown across the country to help her. Trick, Mitzi, and Nova, who’d dropped everything to support their team. Even Jason, who’d gotten pulled into this nightmare because of his father’s connection to her past.

But this was no time to ponder those thoughts, she realized. Self-recrimination wouldn’t help her friends now. Right now, she needed to concentrate on finding answers.

Where had they gone? Had they found Lloyd and moved to a different location? Had they been captured?

Her phone rang, the sound sharp and jarring in the empty house.

Olive looked at the screen—Unknown Caller—and her pulse spiked. After everything that had happened, after the radio conversation at the warehouse, she had a terrible suspicion about who might be calling.

She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the answer button.

Jason and Mitzi watched her, understanding the weight of this moment.

Finally, she answered.

“Hello, Olive.” The voice was calm, controlled, and achingly familiar. “I told you that you should have walked away.”

It was the woman.

Her mom?

Olive wasn’t sure.

“Where are my friends?” Olive’s voice sounded steady despite the fear clawing at her chest.

“They’re safe. For now.” A pause. “But their continued safety depends entirely on your next decision.”

A lump formed in her throat. “What do you want?”

“I want to see you. Face-to-face, without weapons, without backup.” The woman’s voice carried a mixture of authority and what might have been maternal concern. “If you want to see yourfriends alive, you’ll meet me at 2847 Oak Ridge Road in one hour. Alone.”

“Alone? That’s not happening?—”

Before she could finish, the line went dead.

Olive stared at her phone, her mind racing.

Jason looked at her with an expression of concern. “That was her, wasn’t it? The woman from the picture. The one from Florida.”

“The one who might be my mom,” Olive added, her voice just above a whisper. “She has them. Tevin, Trick, Nova. She says if I want to see them alive, I have to meet her. Alone.”

CHAPTER 58

She had less than an hour, which Olive knew was intentional.

The woman—whether she was Olive’s mother or someone pretending to be—wanted to prevent Olive and her team from setting up elaborate surveillance or calling in backup.

“We’ll position ourselves a quarter mile out.” Jason spread a map across the hood of their SUV. “Close enough to respond if things go wrong, far enough away that she won’t spot us immediately.”

“Sounds good.” Olive checked her watch. “Forty-three minutes. We need to move.”

As Mitzi gathered their equipment, Jason touched Olive’s arm and motioned for her to follow him.

With tension thrumming through her, she let him lead her to the back of the house and out of earshot from Mitzi.

His tumultuous gaze met hers, and his voice sounded hoarse as he said, “I don’t want you to do this.”

Her heart lurched into her throat. “I know.”