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The guy who’d talked to me kept his attention on the laundromat, but I noticed him glancing around every few minutes.
My gut told me they were working together. And what would bring them here, when they were neither cops nor bystanders who just happened to be in the area? Unless they were connected to the business card . . . the business card that was our only lead to Aria.
It was only out of the side of my eye that I could watch either guy. The guy who’d questioned me seemed to dismiss me immediately after my boyfriend story, but that could have been an act. Maybe he was still watching me. But even if he wasn’t, I couldn’t risk catching their attention and possibly spooking them before I could learn anything.
These guys were connected to the Beast Boys. My mind and gut agreed on this. So what to do next? I would definitely be following them when they left, but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to do it on my own. Splitting up was what had landed us in this situation in the first place. The problem was, all three of my teammates were still talking with the police officers.
I thought about texting them, but the guy was still observing. There was a good chance he’d notice if I used my phone and then one of them checked her phone. And that was the last thing I wanted. I needed them to leave, thinking they’d learned nothing, so I could follow them back to wherever they’d come from.
Hope bloomed in my heart even as I tried to shove it away. What if they could lead me straight to Aria?
The guy who’d talked to me started to leave, the second guy just a few seconds behind him. They glanced around and I quickly looked away before they noticed my attention on them. I watched out of the corner of my eye as they headed toward the parking lot.
Crap. That was where I was parked, too, but it was nearly empty. If I happened to leave at the same time they did it would be too obvious. But if I ran to my car after they’d already left, I could lose them.
Either seemed like a risk but I chose the second. I couldn’t spook them. I had to hope that the three am roads were so empty that I’d be able to find them.
When their backs were toward me I scooted through the crowd, blending in as best I could and moving to the other side of the laundromat, ready to make a dash for my car as soon as they drove away. I also needed to be close enough to determine the make and model of the car they drove and hopefully catch their license plate.
The men hurried to their car, no longer even looking around. They seemed confident that no one had made them.
They climbed into their car and started toward the other end of the parking lot.
Dang it! I hadn’t noticed that there was a second exit. They were too far for me to see much more than that the car was a sedan of some sort.
I’d made it to the other side of the crowd, my keys ready in my hand, and as soon as the car turned out of sight, I sprinted.
I was barely winded as I slid behind the wheel and tore out of my parking space. I really hoped the guys hadn’t left someone behind to see if they were tailed, but I couldn’t worry about that now. If I lost them, all would be in vain. They were my only lead.
I put the pedal to the metal and turned the same corner a mere thirty seconds behind them.
I slowed in case they were still close, keeping my eyes peeled. They had to still be in sight.
Down the road I saw taillights and accelerated. I didn’t want to get too close but I had to see if the car was at least a sedan.
As I neared the car I breathed a sigh of relief. A dark-colored sedan. This had to be them.
As I followed two car lengths behind, I squinted at the license plate, but couldn’t make it out. Strange. I realized after a moment that the light that should have illuminated the plate was dim, almost dead, and in the dark it was impossible to read. That just strengthened my conviction that I was on the right track and these men were trying to avoid notice.
I squeezed my steering wheel, careful to stay far enough back even while I wanted to be right on their tail. I was grateful when another car joined us on the road. Hopefully now if they did notice my car, it wouldn’t be obvious that I was going the same way. Thankfully, the direction they were taking was toward the suburbs and family homes. It made sense that cars out at three am would be going home, right?
My heart rate ramped up as we slid to a stop at a red light. I stayed in the right lane behind the third car, while the guys I was tailing stayed in the left lane. I was too far away to make out what the men looked like but sure enough, there were two guys in the front seat. This had to be them.
Tailing a lead. Call Susie to send you a car. Follow my trail when you can.
I shot off a voice text from my GPS just before the light turned green. My car, as well as all of our phones, was always being tracked. My team would know exactly where I was at all times and would join me as soon as they could.
Be careful.Nadia’s reply was immediate.
What she said,Ella added.
I smiled, grateful for friends who’d become my family. I would take reasonable precautions, but there was only so much concern I’d have for myself if Aria’s safety was on the line.
More cars joined us on the road, helping me to breathe more easily. It was easy for me to keep an eye on the sedan. The hard part was making sure I wasn’t detected.
Typically I wouldn’t worry about that. I’d tailed hundreds of cars and never been outed. But the stakes were high on this one. Too high. If I messed up . . .
I couldn’t think like that.
