Page 47 of Tangled With You

And then, with only one last look back at the stall with theransom, he pulled open the door, headed back the way he came, and exited themall.

He didn’t stop until he reached the car he’d arrived in.Trevor was gone—well-hidden inside the mall—and it was Ollie’s job to driveaway. He did, maneuvering his way to Riverside Drive, then heading east until hewas in Valley Village. He puttered around for a while, then turned south ontoLaurel Canyon and—in what could only be described as dramatic irony—turned intothe Von’s parking lot. The very lot where Courtney had been abducted in thefirst place.

He left his car, switched to another that had already beenplanted there, changed into board shorts and a faded blue tee, then put on thesurfer-blonde wig and ball cap.

After that, he used the key that had been left under the matto fire up the car and head back to the mall so he could reconnect with theteam currently milling about the second floor as they traded off the duty tokeep an eye on the men’s room.

“Anything?” he said, after putting on the headphone that hadalso been left for him.

“No takers so far,” Leah said. “Not a soul has gone intothat restroom.”

“I’m on my way.”

“See you soon,” Trevor said, and just his voice alone madeOllie smile. As soon as this day was over, he was pulling Trevor close and,hopefully, fucking his brains out. He’d need to start with an apology, butsurely Trevor would get it. The man knew how distracting he was to Ollie. Andtoday of all days, Ollie had needed to be in full-focus mode.

“We’ve got something.” Brax’s voice rang out clear inOllie’s headset. “A kid. Maybe seventeen. Jeans and a red tee. He’s heading forthe men’s room.”

“Probably just taking a leak,” Leah said.

“Guess we’ll see. Yeah, okay, he’s in.”

Ollie picked up his pace, wanting to get to his stationbefore the kid came out. He didn’t make it, and he turned to face the mall’smap, then hoped he looked like he was trying to locate a store.

“Bingo.” That was Trevor’s voice. “He’s got the bags andhe’s on the move.”

“On him,” Liam said, and Ollie could imagine him and Quincefalling in behind the kid, pursuing him to wherever he might be taking theransom. Which, hopefully, ended up at Bobby’s hidey-hole.

“I’m going in,” Ollie said, once he’d turned around and sawthat neither the kid nor Quince or Liam were anywhere in sight.

“You’re cleared,” Trevor said. “At your discretion.”

Ollie opened the door, then moved into the now unlockedstall where he’d left the money. At first he saw nothing, and he spat out aquick curse, then heard Trevor’s sharp intake of breath.

“Nothing?”

“Not a goddamn—wait. Something,” he said, seeing theenvelope that had been taped beneath the stall’s private sink. He tugged itfree of the tape, then said a quick prayer before carefully opening the sealedenvelope. It contained just a thin strip of paper, and he pulled it out, thenclosed his eyes and exhaled in relief.

“An address,” he said. “We’ve got an address.”

“Report.”

He read the address back, and listened as Trevor dismissedBrax and Leah to head that way. “Get back to the car,” Trevor said. “We’ll beright behind them.”

“On my way,” Ollie acknowledged, then hurried out of thestall, praying that this wasn’t going to all go to shit, and that within thehour, they’d have Courtney safe and sound and back at her home.

* * * *

The address was all the way in Riverside, and since therewas no way that Ollie was consigning Courtney to any more time in fear than wasnecessary, he called the Riverside FBI field office and had a team dispatched.

“Stealth,” he stressed. “She’s probably alone and bound, lockedin. But we don’t know that for sure. Call me the moment you have eyes-on.”

When he hung up the call, his chest felt tight. “Tell methat wasn’t a mistake,” he said to Trevor, reaching over to twine their fingerstogether.

“It wasn’t. It’s the FBI. They know what they’re doing.She’s fine, Ollie,” he said. “We’ll have confirmation soon, but she’s fine.” Hetugged his hand free from Ollie’s, then put it on the steering wheel. Ollie wasso lost in thought, he barely noticed, his mind too full of worry for Courtneyto have room for processing information about the world around him. He was in acar, and they were moving toward her prison. That was all he knew. Right then,that was all he needed to know.

The sharp ring of his phone made him jump, but he hit thebutton to answer immediately. “You got her?”

“It’s Liam. And we lost the money. And Bobby.”