I turned toward Jude and Free. The moment our eyes met, a silent, split-second conversation followed. Jude held out his hand, palm down. Free and I mimicked the motion, and then, in unison, we voted.

My fingers curled into a fist. Yes.

Jude—yes.

Free was the last one to vote, but we all knew that her fingers were going to fist, too. One for all, and all for trouble.

“You’re not dropping us off anywhere.” Free climbed into the truck next to Gabriel. “We’re coming with.”

* * *

By the time we arrived in Alden, I wasn’t sure who was more ready for our road trip to be over: Saskia, Gabriel, or me. All three of us were out of the truck before Free had even unbuckled her seat belt.

Alden wasn’t much bigger than Hunter’s Point, just a dot on the map that people passed through without giving the town or its inhabitants a second thought.

“We’re dealing with a kidnapper who knows how to survive in the wilderness. Someone who knows Sierra Glades National Park.” Gabriel shut his car door, harder than necessary. “The person who took Bella knows how to cover their tracks.”

I thought of the number of times the trail had gone cold and Bella—and the person who took her—had seemingly just vanished. “This person doesn’t just know how to cover their tracks,” I said. “They know how to disappear.”

A muscle in Gabriel’s jaw ticced. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Free gave him a once-over, then threw out a question. “So why would a wilderness expert give up that advantage and bring Bella back to civilization?”

Jude was the first one to come up with a response. “If they’re local, they might have been afraid that if they stayed gone too long, someone would notice their absence.”

“Or maybe the kidnapper wants to take Bella somewhere.” Free squatted next to Duchess, scratching behind her ear. “Or the witness was mistaken. Or this sicko is just playing with us.”

“This isn’t a game.” Gabriel’s voice was so low that I had to strain to hear it. I tracked his gaze to a man and a woman in dark-colored suits across the street. “Feds,” Gabriel continued, muted. “Kidnapping is a federal offense.”

As if she’d heard Gabriel, the female in the pair glanced our way. I wondered what she saw. Four teens and four dogs? Could she tell that we weren’t supposed to be here?

“Should we mosey?” Jude asked brightly. “I suggest we mosey.”

We moseyed away from the street and down to a creek to regroup. The trees were thicker here than in Hunter’s Point, the divide between civilization and the Glades less sharp. I wondered how many people in Alden had land that backed right up to the national park.