Twitch sat at a bank of computers typing on a laptop like the hounds of hell were in pursuit. Nathan paced. Ren sat eating macadamia nuts and reading a mangled copy of The World According to Garp. Tox threw the door open with his butt, his hands balancing a cardboard tray of coffees and a bag of fast food burgers.
“What’ve we got?” Tox took a healthy slurp of his drink.
Twitch pushed the rolling chair back from the monitors and, using a remote pointer, activated the large screen on the wall.
“She had a tracker implant until about seventeen minutes ago. They were still moving when I lost the signal. Sorry, North.”
“Last location?”
“West Side Highway and 96th. Based on the speed of the van, best guess is Henry Hudson Parkway out of the city. Chat’s over at the precinct trying to get a look at the traffic cam footage. Legally,” Twitch amended after Nathan quirked a brow.
“Well, they weren’t planning on going far in that junker of a van. Westchester? Connecticut?” Tox started in on another burger.
“Connecticut plates on the van were stolen, but, in what could be a related story, an observant driver in Connecticut noticed the plates on her minivan had been changed out in a mall parking lot and reported it to the local PD in Waterbury.”
Nathan crossed to another screen displaying a map that marked the van’s known route. He touched the screen marking Waterbury, Connecticut, then stepped back to survey the area with a population of nearly fifteen million people. Ren looked up from his novel.
“The van lost a strip of tire tread as it sped away. A soil sample could give some indication of where the van has been.”
Nathan nodded. “They bagged it. I’ll confirm they’re running an analysis.”
A security monitor drew Twitch’s eye. “We have a visitor.”
“That’s Emily’s dad. I’ll bring him up. If we can’t chase these assholes, maybe we can get ahead of them, figure out what the fuck is going on.”
Ren put down his book and stood. “Good thought, North. Because this is not a kidnapping. This is a vendetta.”