back of the house, Jax stopped and lowered his hand from my elbow. I missed it immediately. The night felt colder without his touch. Yet, despite the cold November wind, sweat trickled down my back beneath my shirt, sweater, and coat.
“This is a good spot,” he murmured into my ear, and I nodded.
We’d reached the back of the house near a small opening in the overgrown bushes that looped around the backyard. The house was dark from our viewpoint. No light came from any of the rooms at the back of the house. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and I saw nothing except the dark outline of what were probably outdoor cellar doors.
Jax tapped something on his phone, then stuck it in his pocket. “In position,” he murmured to the team. He took the bag off his shoulder and unzipped it, kneeling to pull out the laser mic.
I took off my gloves and quickly assembled it. Jax helped me hold it while I adjusted the settings and moved it around to see if I could hear anyone talking.
Nada. I heard nothing.
“We’re in position in the front,” I heard Bo say in my ear. “We’ve got light and sound from the front left room, possibly the living room.”
My heart jumped at the news. Could he hear my mom?
“Copy that.” Kira’s steady voice came through. “Can you make anything out in terms of conversation, or do you hear a woman’s voice?”
“Not yet,” Mike replied. “I’m still working on it.”
“I’ve got zip from the back,” I offered.
I fiddled more with my mic but couldn’t hear any voices. Apparently the occupants were only in the front of the house. I handed the headphones over to Jax, but he couldn’t hear anything, either.
“Wait. I’ve got something,” Mike said excitedly. “Voices. I definitely hear voices, but one of them sounds weird, almost like a robot is talking. The other one sounds normal, but it’s not Sampson. No woman’s voice yet.”
Robots? Something niggled at the back of my mind. Robots. Why would someone sound like a robot? Suddenly, I had it. “Mike, could that robotic sound be a voice modulator? Maybe Sampson is trying to disguise his voice.”
“Could be,” Mike said. “Good thinking, Angel.”
“Hang on, I’m getting more,” Mike said. “Robot Voice said they were to await instructions from the boss before proceeding any further. The other guy, the one with the regular voice, is mocking Robot Voice for wearing a stupid mask and voice box. You nailed it, Angel. It’s a voice modulator.” He was quiet for a minute and then continued. “Robot Voice, who I agree is Sampson, said he isn’t in the business of taking chances with anyone. The other guy asked why the woman was still alive, then.”
My heart jumped to my heart and lodged there. “She’s alive?” I asked. “Is she there?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard her, but I think she’s in there,” Mike replied. “Sampson said she didn’t know anything and hadn’t seen either of them, so they could let her go and she’d be clueless about why or who had kidnapped her. Then the other guy said…” He let the sentence trail off.
“Said what?” I prompted.
Mike paused for a moment. “He said she’s a loose end and he’s going to kill her.”
Chapter Forty-Three
ANGEL SINCLAIR
I gasped. Jax put a hand over mine, squeezing. “Stay focused,” he said softly. “She’ll be okay. Stay here and keep trying to pick up voices. I’m going to check out something on the side of the house.”
I nodded, and he slipped away. Just then a light came on in a room on the left side of the house. The windows in the room weren’t shaded, and the light clearly illuminated the room. Two men entered, one of them wearing a ski mask.
“They’ve moved to the back of house,” I whispered. “I see two guys. Sampson must be wearing the mask, because I don’t recognize the other guy. He’s bald, shorter than Sampson, and very muscular.”
“Do you see your mom?” Kira asked.
“No, but my mic is picking up voices. Stand by.”
I adjusted a dial and heard the voices come through. It was hard to understand because the two men were talking over each other. I could make out someone saying “she’s gone” and “find her.”
“I think my mom escaped,” I said, my heart pounding. “They can’t find her.”
The muscular guy spoke. “You look inside the house. I’ll go outside and check the perimeter.”
OMG! Things had gone from bad to worse. Both men exited the room,