“You’d better be on your best behavior, missy,” Mr. Whiny said, snapping a leash on Ginger’s collar. “Al-Rashid expects you to put on a stellar show tomorrow morning and so do we.” He dragged her toward the door and Tootsie cautiously followed behind. “If you screw up your debut, you screw us. If that happens, you’re done. Kaput. Finished. I’ll put you down myself and enjoy it while I do it.”
My vision tunneled in anger and I tightened my fists.
“Damn, I’m bleeding,” Mr. Skinny said, still holding his hand to his stomach. “She’s a menace.”
Still talking among themselves, they hauled Ginger back inside with little Tootsie following. The door slammed shut behind them. For a moment, none of us spoke.
Gwen’s eyes were bright with fury. “They’re treating her like a piece of equipment.”
“I’m glad Ginger bit of one of them,” Gwen said grimly. “I feel like biting them myself.”
“At least they’re alive,” Barbie’s said, her expression a mixture of tears, disbelief, and joy. “Both of them. My Tootsie is alive. I’d given up all hope.”
I forced myself to calm down and think. Anger had to wait. Strategy and planning was the only way we were going to help the dogs and whatever else they had cooped up in there.
Before I could say anything, Barbie spoke, her eyes still glittering. “I’ve spent twenty years trying to put this company and those bastards in the ground. And now I find myself standing in the woods near my mortal enemy’s lab with three women who claim to be at a bachelorette party but who operate like they’re a special forces unit. I’m an investigative reporter, and I know there’s a lot more going on here. But damn it, right now, I don’t even care. I’m just so grateful for you.”
She took a breath and then pointed a finger at me. “You. You must be some kind of genius, hacking into a high-tech lab in the woods with nothing more than your brain and a laptop balanced on your knees. How can you do that?”
“Their firmware is weak, and they have a security system I’m already familiar with?” I said, shrugging.
She glanced at Gray and Gwen for corroboration. When they didn’t give up anything else, Barbie sighed. “Fine. Keep your secrets. At this point, all I really care about is that we’re on the same side. But I’m done watching. I want my dog back and this lab shut down for good. I’ve got more resources than you might expect, and I’m ready to use them. Let’s get on with whatever we need to do to make that happen.”
I nodded. “We’re definitely on the same page and the same side. This trip was productive. Give me a few more minutes to penetrate the Wi-Fi through the security system and install a back door so I can get in quickly later.”
I sat on an old log, hardly noticing the cold on my backside. My fingers flew as I split my brain. Half working on the hack, the other half spiraling over worry about Ginger and what I was going to do when I got my hands on those lab losers.
When I finished, I turned to the others, who were waiting patiently for me. “Done. At least we have learned that someone named Al-Rashid is coming tomorrow morning to see Ginger. We have confirmation that she’s alive and in the lab. Tootsie, too, although that one was a surprise. We also know that the lab apparently feels threatened enough by Barbie that they stole her dog. Momentum is on our side, even if time is not. So, like Barbie suggested, let’s get out of here and figure out our next steps.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lexi
We walked away from the lab carefully, not daring to rush until we were safely out of sight of the building. Basia exhaled in relief when we climbed back into the car.
“What took you guys so long?” she asked.
“We saw Ginger,” Gwen replied. “She’s alive, but not okay.”
“You saw Ginger?” Basia asked, gasping. “She’s alive?”
“Yes, but the scientists were mishandling her,” I said. “We also found Barbie’s dog, Tootsie.”
“OMG. They have Tootsie, too?” Basia said in horror. “I thought she was dead. Why do they have her?”
“Bargaining chip? Revenge? Who knows?” Gray speculated. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”
“They are so going down for hurting my dog,” Barbie said angrily. “Twice.”
“I’m not arguing with that,” I said. “But on a positive note, I got into the security system and have set up a back door for quick reentry. We also got a clue that might help us. While yelling at the dogs, one of the scientists mentioned the name of someone that’s supposedly coming tomorrow morning to see Ginger and may be connected to all this.” I pulled my laptop bag onto my lap and fastened my seat belt. “The name he said was Al-Rashid.”
“Is that a first or last name?” Basia asked.
“Last name, I think. I need somewhere to sit, open my computer, and think about the best way to track him down. But right now, I am so cold. I could really use some coffee.”
“Me, too,” said Barbie. “But somehow, that name Al-Rashid sounds familiar. I’ll look through my notes to see what I can find as well.” She patted her backpack on the floor.
Gray pulled out her phone and swiped. “Twice in one week is not normal for me, but the only food establishment in a five-mile radius of here is a McDonald’s. We can get coffee and food there while we strategize.”
