Unless they were hoping. Unless they’d sent coordinates in a poem and were counting seconds, waiting for someone to come.
If it was even her.
Lincoln forced himself to lower the scope. Staring wouldn’t change the math. They had to wait for the right window or they’d get themselves killed and leave Mercury worse off than before.
But the next patrol rotation should be in six minutes. Six minutes, and then a four-minute window. They could be inside in ten minutes if they moved now.
“We should go now.” Lincoln’s voice came out flatter than he intended. “We can make it. We can?—”
“Not yet.” Derek shifted in the passenger seat beside him, his breath fogging in the cold. “We need to confirm the guard pattern is consistent. Give them one more rotation.”
“But…”
“Take a breath, Linc.”
“I’ve taken enough breaths. She’s been in that building for four days.”
“And she’ll be in there for another twenty minutes while we make sure we don’t get killed trying to get her out.”
Lincoln knew he was being managed, but he couldn’t deny his cousin was right.
“So let’s slow down. Run it again. Everything we know, everything we don’t. Because right now, you’re about to charge into an unknown building based on a reflection in a puddle.”
“It wasn’t just a puddle,” Lincoln muttered.
“I know. Go through it again.”
Lincoln had already explained twice during the drive. He didn’t mind explaining again—Derek wasn’t trying to back out. Neither were Bear or Theo. Derek was trying to give him something else to focus on. Besides that goddamned box.
It worked.
“I couldn’t access satellite imagery without triggering federal attention, and they’re already freaking out since this morning’s non-breach breach in their systems. So I pulled footage from every accessible camera in a six-block radius.” Lincoln forced his eyes away from the warehouse, making sure all the data was perfect in his mind. “A security system on the building across the street caught a reflection in standing water. Four nights ago, at approximately midnight, a van arrived. Someone exited carrying what appeared to be a body bag.”
“Appeared to be.”
“Weight distribution and dimensions consistent with an unconscious adult. They carried the body inside. The van left forty minutes later. Empty.”
“And you think that’s Mercury?”
“The timing correlates. She missed our first exchange four nights ago.”
Derek was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again,his voice was careful. “Could be a trap. Someone intercepts her messages, figures out your codes, sends a fake SOS.”
“Possible.”
“Could be she’s part of whatever operation is running out of that building. Could be you’re the mark.”
“Also possible.”
“Could be that body bag was a rolled carpet and we’re about to commit felony breaking and entering for nothing.”
“Unlikely. But possible.”
“Okay.” Derek exhaled. “You know I’m just saying the stuff that needs to be said out loud.”
“I know. While also keeping me distracted.”
Derek smiled. “You know, for most of your life, you wouldn’t have even been able to recognize that.”
