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Cole hurried out of the shopping mall, new burner phones he’d already programmed in hand, gray hood up over his head to block the sudden downpour. He was eager to get back to his family and get on the road. Being away from them for even twenty minutes without any way to communicate had left him feeling paranoid. He’d almost yelled at the store clerk, who was way too chitchatty, trying to get him to move along faster with his purchase. They were only a few miles from the nearest border crossing. Depending on wait time, he figured they should be inside Mexico and on their way to Sayulita within twenty-five minutes.

Cole rushed across the parking lot, head low to block the rain, but suddenly froze in place while looking up ahead. He cursed out loud, an exploding wave of fear sweeping over him. Police cars were everywhere around their van. Probably six or seven of them, with officers scrambling about all over the place. Cole quickly found the nearest vehicle in the lot and hid behind it for a moment. What the hell had happened? How had they found the van? Had Lisa and Jade already been arrested? He had to get closer to find out. He couldn’t tell much from this distance. He moved out from the vehicle and navigated as hidden a path as possible with the other cars parked in the lot. He zigzagged back and forth, being super careful, until he found himself near enough to make out what was happening.

He didn’t spot his girls standing out front anywhere. Cole scanned the police vehicles one at a time. He also didn’t see anyone sitting in the back of any of the vehicles. That gave him some hope that Lisa and Jade had not been apprehended. Unless they were being held inside the restaurant. He doubted that. Cole took several breaths, trying to calm himself down and figure out what to do next. He regretted stopping to get the burner phones this side of the border. If his girls weren’t out here, and they hadn’t been arrested, where could they have gone? Turning around, Cole looked back at the mall. The only thing he could think of was that they’d gone to find him when the police somehow showed up. They were probably inside the mall right now searching for him. And if he didn’t hurry and find them, the police would probably also be swarming the mall within minutes.