“Why didn’t we do this in the first place?”
“Because it was a fifty-fifty proposition that we were going to end up at the dock, where you could have been on your lunch break or something. But this is a better setup. Now you need a disguise that will give you a reason for beinghere.”
He retrieved his bag from the back seat and rummaged inside, coming out with a lanyard that held a name tag. On it was a pretty good picture of Olivia with her dark hair.
“How did you get that?” she asked, as she slipped it over her head.
“Combination of Photoshop and AI. You walk up through the alley. If anyone asks, you’re checking the electric lines.
“What lines?”
“I don’t know, but this meter is going to register something that looks official.” He pressed a button on the device that activated a blinking red light.
He turned to Travis. “You and I will walk up the sidewalk, keeping pace with Olivia. You can do that, right?”
“He says, yes,” Olivia relayed.
“I’ll stop at the house before the car and turn in at the walk. You keep going. When you get to the car, do something that will scare the shit out of the guy inside.”
He looked back the way they’d come. “Did you see anyone on the street?”
“No,” Olivia answered, speaking for herself and Travis.
“Let’s hope we don’t alarm any bystanders. If they see what’s going down, they might call the cops.”
Olivia made a low sound. “Now you tell me.”
“Probably not gonna happen. Just be alert.”
Gabe looked toward the back seat. “Can you open the door of your house?”
“He thinks so,” Olivia relayed.
“Okay. We’re going to take Pete inside where we can question him in private.”
Hoping she could pull off the plan, Olivia stepped out of the car and stiffened her legs.
She waited until Travis and Gabe were on the street they’d come from before starting down the alley. She could feel the connection between herself and Travis stretching almost to the breaking point. What would happen if they got too far away? Would he vanish?”
I guess we’ll find out,he answered.
She kept walking, worried that at any time this could all fall apart. But her only option was to keep going.
Can you pick it up a little? Gabe is going to draw their attention at his pace.
At any pace,she shot back before speeding up.
Travis told her when she was behind his house. As she studied the exterior, she was relieved to see that the patch of lawn between his property and the neighbor on the right was not obstructed. She cut partway through and stopped behind a large, unwieldy juniper.
You should have trimmed this monster, but it makes a convenient hiding place now,she said. From where she stood, she could watch the action on the street, but was pretty sure she wouldn’t be spotted. She could see Gabe stop, well back from the target car, but she knew he was visible to the man behind the wheel.
The thug looked up, now more aware of his surroundings than he had been a few minutes earlier.
Gabe held his ground, but as she looked on, she heard Travis say,Give me energy.
She did as he asked, sending power to him. He waited a moment before charging toward the car and throwing himself violently against the side. The blow made the vehicle rock. It kept rocking as Travis moved his hands against it, and she continued to give him the power he needed. She could feel his elation as he rained some payback on one of the men who had delivered him to Smith.
From her hiding place, she could see panic and confusion bloom on Pete’s face.
