Page 41 of Toy

I wouldn’t let her vanish.

I wouldn’t let her die.

Somewhere around midnight, Beck inhaled sharply. My eyes snapped up. “You got something?” I asked.

“Maybe.” She squinted at the screen. “You said Jolie’s neighbor spotted a tall blond guy lurking around the building, right?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a blond guy in this footage from La Guardia, traveling with a woman. She seems a bit spaced out,” she said. “She’s got dark hair, but she’s about the same height and weight as Jolie. Could be a wig, right?”

I hurried over to her side of the desk. “Where?”

“This is when they first stepped into the shot,” she said, rewinding and then pausing the video. She pointed to the right side of the screen. “What do you think?”

I frowned. “I can’t tell. Same body type, I suppose, but I can’t see her face. It could be anyone.”

“I already watched it all. She never shows her face. Always has her head down,” Beck replied, shoulders slumping.

“Wait.” I looked at the blond man next to the dark-haired woman. I couldn’t see his face either, but something about him seemed familiar. “Can you see his face at any point?”

“A bit. Just the profile for a couple of seconds.” She pressed play again and jammed one finger down on the keyboard about a minute later. “There. Right as he’s handing the passports over to the gate attendant.”

My muscles went rigid, and a sudden chill bit at my core. I would recognize that long, hooked nose anywhere. “That’s Danny Miller.”

“You know him?”

I nodded, heart thundering in my chest. “He’s from the cult.”

Beck sprang up. “You sure it’s him?”

“Positive.” My jaw clenched. “You were right. That must be Jolie with him.”

“He must’ve told her to keep her head down, just to make sure she wouldn’t be caught on any cameras. Probably drugged her too. That’s why she seems so slow and spaced out.”

“Yeah. Which flight did they get on?” I asked.

She leaned down and clicked her mouse a few times. “AA1746. Stops in Charlotte for a while, then goes on to San José as AA1707.”

“Can you call someone in Charlotte and get them to apprehend the two of them during the stop?”

She pressed her lips together tightly, eyebrows drawing together as she did some mental calculations. “No,” she finally said. “It’s way too late for that. They would’ve left Charlotte four hours ago.”

“Shit.” My shoulders sagged. “That means they’ve already landed in San José, right?”

“Yes, but they would’ve only landed about half an hour ago. They’ve probably left the airport, but they haven’t had long to get very far. That means they’re definitely still somewhere in San José, and we should be able to track where they go from there. So our search field is getting smaller by the minute.”

“True.”

Beck patted my arm. Her lips turned up in a reassuring smile. “Don’t get discouraged now. You were right about their plan to take her there, and we’re getting closer and closer.”

“I know. You were right too. She’s still alive.” I allowed myself a small smile to return hers.

She arched a brow. “So… how do you want to handle this from now on? Officially or unofficially?”

“Unofficially.” A flush of adrenaline shot through my veins as I laid one heavy hand on her right shoulder. “We’re going to Costa Rica.”

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