“Get out,” Dalton’s calm words came over the coms.

“Like hell. I can take Anthony with my eyes closed.” Valeria was ready. It was time for payback.

“He’s stopped,” Lizzy giggled, spinning and sending her skirt flying up. “He’s staring at us.”

“Fuck,” Dalton cursed. “This party is busted. Get out, now.”

“Sebas—” Valeria started to ask.

“Leave him. He has identification, neither of you do.” It was remarkable how calm Dalton and Grant were under stress. Grant calmly told them how to leave the party as the first sounds of “DEA!” were being shouted at the front of the house.

Lizzy and Valeria moved quickly, shoving their way through the crowd. Some of the crowd panicked, some laughed and snapped selfies while others kept drinking and dancing.

“Left through the mimosa trees,” came Grant’s steady voice.

“The white or pink ones?” Lizzy asked as she led the way.

“Pink.”

“Go first,” Lizzy ordered Val.

“You go. You’re already there,” Valeria called from where Lizzy was already halfway up the tree looking over the eight-foot stucco privacy fence.

Lizzy nodded and climbed from the tree to the top of the fence and then disappeared from sight. Valeria reached up and grabbed the branches of the tropical tree with the fuzzy flowers. She hiked her foot and pulled herself up.

But suddenly she was being pulled back down. Instinctively she tightened her grip on the branches and tried to free herself. “It’s been a long time, baby.”

Anthony’s voice slithered over her.

“I’m not your baby.”

“Did you think a wig and some makeup would fool me? Your back gave you away. How many times did I trace those freckles that make up a crescent on your shoulder blade?”

“Do you need assistance?” Grant’s granite-hard voice said over coms, but before she could scream, the DEA and police flooded the backyard.

“Freeze!” someone yelled right behind them.

“Calm down, I’m with you. DEA Agent Anthony Gomez. I’m taking a suspect into custody.”

“I’m not a suspect!” Valeria said, fighting against the cuffs Anthony was putting on her.

“Hold on, lass. I’m coming,” she heard Grant’s voice say over the coms as Anthony flashed his badge and began to drag her across the yard and away from her team.

Valeria fought. She darted out in front of Anthony and spun to face him. “Hijo de puta!” she cursed as she slammed her forehead into the bridge of his nose. She smiled as she heard the crunch of his bone. His grasp loosened enough for her to jerk away, but then she felt it. The pinch of taser prongs and everything went black.

---

Grant shoved the side door to the van open and went to leap out. Dalton’s iron-tight grip on his arm stopped him. Adrenaline surged through him harder and faster than when he was taking on enemy fire.

“Let go!” Grant growled as he tried to shake him off.

“We have to think about this. If you go charging in there, you’re no help to her at all. Listen, she’s not talking. It’s that Anthony guy talking.”

“Thanks for your assistance, officer. I’ll take her from here,” Grant heard Anthony say, followed by the sound of car door closing.

“Steal a car and follow them. We need to find Sebastian, Manuel, and Roland,” Lizzy ordered as she neared the van. Dalton let go of him. Lizzy reached into a duffle bag and tossed Grant a gun and a burner phone.

“What’s this?” he asked as he turned on the phone. A little dot was moving along the private road heading out of the neighborhood.

“I learned my lesson the last time and put a small GPS dot sticker on the inside of her dress. Follow her and get her back.”

Lizzy climbed into the driver’s seat of the van and tossed a second phone to Dalton. “I also tagged Sebastian.”

“They’re moving deeper into the neighborhood,” Dalton said as he watched the dot move. “Go!” he yelled at Grant, who didn’t wait to jump out of the van.

Grant slid the gun into his waistband at the small of his back and took off down the street. Contrary to belief, it would be easier to steal a car from behind a gated driveway than not. People felt safe behind gates and tended to not lock up like they should.

Grant hopped the first gated driveway he found. A plum purple Bentley Continental convertible was parked in the round driveway near the front door. Even better, he didn’t need to break glass.

Grant leapt over the door and slid into the front seat. He let out a silent whoop when he saw the key fob in the cup holder. He pressed the brake and pushed the start button, and the Bentley’s V8 roared to life. As he waited for the gate to slide open, he looked at the map. Anthony was speeding east, about to get onto Interstate 5. The gate opened and Grant peeled out the driveway. Unlike Anthony, he didn’t have a way to get past the blockade. Grant smashed his hand against the steering wheel when he was stopped in a long line of cars by police and DEA as they looked for Manuel Hernandez.

Time slowed to a crawl as one car was finally cleared and allowed through. Grant thought his heart would explode as he tried to keep his cool. He grabbed the fake military identification and the car registration.

He put his cell phone on his lap and dialed Alex.

“What’s up, dude?”

“I’ve just stolen a car and have to get through a checkpoint.”

“Duuuude.”

“Can you help?” Grant asked, agitated.

“Duh. What’s the car owner’s name and registration number?”

“Stein, Cecilia,” Grant said, spitting out all the information Alex would need to find her.

Another car cleared the checkpoint. Grant had three more cars and then he’d be on the spot. As Alex did his thing, Grant stared at the dot on the phone. Anthony had gotten on Interstate 5 and was already turning onto Interstate 10 heading east toward San Bernardino. At this time of night and with sirens, Anthony was able to put miles in between them with every minute Grant was stuck waiting to get through the checkpoints. As the minutes ticked by, Valeria was slipping farther and farther from his grasp.

“You’re set. You’re married to Cecilia now. Just got married last Saturday. Nice, she’s the daughter of a producer. Of course, she’s nineteen so you kinda look like a cradle-robber. But whatever, dude.”

“Thanks, Alex.” Grant hung up and took a deep breath as the next car went through. It about killed him, but twenty minutes later he finally pulled up to have his car checked.

The officer looked at his ID and the registration. “These don’t match up,” he said suspiciously, shining the mag light into Grant’s eyes.

“It’s my wife’s car. We were just married last week. What’s going on? I was at my in-laws’ house.” Grant motioned back the way he’d come. “And can’t get home now.”

The officer looked at him again, not believing the story. “I’ll be right back. Search the car,” he ordered the officer on the other side of the car.

“Pop the trunk please,” the officer ordered as the one with his fake ID and car registration walked to the police barricade. Grant opened the trunk and prayed Cecilia didn’t have any drugs or weapons in her car.

The officer checked the trunk, opened the glove box, and used a mirror to check under the car. With every second that ticked by, Grant battled for control. He had to get to Valeria. The second that dot stopped moving, he knew she would be dead.

After ten minutes the officer walked back with his ID and registration. “Here you go. Just had to confirm the marriage since you aren’t listed on the registration. Congratulations, now move along.”

Grant gave the man a smile and a nod and slowly drove through the barricade. The second he was out of sight he pressed the gas and took off. Anthony had over a thirty-minute head start on Grant and he was flying.

---

“Dammit!” Lizzy cursed and slammed her hand against a beautiful wood patio table. Lizzy and Dalton had driven halfway through the neighborhood trying to follow Sebastian, Manuel, and Roland, then right before the checkpoint for that end of the neighborhood became visible, they had turned into a driveway.

Lizzy had followed, but a gate had been in the way. She’d left the van in the drive, and she and Dalton vaulted over the gate only to watch a helicopter lifting off from the backyard with Sebastian in it. They’d sprinted around the back, but the helicopter was already flying away.

“The fucker betrayed us! He helped Roland and Manuel escape. Ahhh!” Lizzy screamed as she balled her hands together. “So help me, I will kill him myself.”

“So let’s follow him. He doesn’t know he’s being tracked. Get me to a helicopter, and we’re good to go,” Dalton said calmly. After all, being a PJ was synonymous with calmness under pressure.

“First we have to get out of here.”

“I’d advise driving straight out the back.”

“What?” Lizzy asked, looking around the backyard. There was a pool, a privacy fence, and a basketball court, which is where the helicopter had landed. “There’s nowhere to drive.”

“Right through that fence,” Dalton told her, holding up his phone. “We go through the fence, onto the neighbor’s driveway, and we’re on Hobart Boulevard. No checkpoint.”

Lizzy looked around. It would be a tight fit between the trees, but it was doable. “Can you get the gate open?”

Dalton just smiled. “Help me tip over this statue.”

Lizzy looked at the large nude stone woman lining the drive. There were five of them on the side of the drive farthest from the house near the gate, all sculpted in different poses. “Why?”

“See this slight indent in the driveway’s concrete? It’s the trigger line for the gate. It’ll open when a certain amount of weight is put on it,” Dalton explained.

Lizzy looked at the small indent running in a straight line across the width of the drive and up at the statue. If they pushed her over, she’d land on the indent, open the gate, then she could walk out and drive the van through.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Lizzy said as she and Dalton moved behind the statue.

“Just put your hands right on her feet.” Dalton instructed. Lizzy looked up at the stone feet at chest level. She put both her hands on one foot and Dalton put both of his on the other. “One. Two. Three.”

They pushed with everything they had and the statue slowly slid off its base. They strained, bending their knees to put more force behind the push until the nude woman teetered on the edge of her pedestal and fell.

The statue slammed into the ground, breaking an arm and sending it rolling away from her. Lizzy looked at the statue and then at the gate as it slowly began to open. She didn’t wait to marvel that it actually worked. Instead, she took off up the drive and jumped into the van. In seconds, she was driving through the gate and into the yard in order to get around the fallen statue.

Dalton got into the passenger seat and put on his seat belt. “There’s a sightseeing helicopter tour company a couple miles from here. Turn right out of the neighbor’s yard to get there.”

Lizzy angled the car into the backyard and around the pool. “Ready?”

Dalton nodded and held on. Lizzy floored the gas as the old van shot forward. They hit the privacy fence and Lizzy’s foot was momentarily knocked off the gas pedal as she was flung forward. The seat belt caught and sent her slamming back into her seat.

“Pool,” Dalton said easily as she cranked the van to the left, knocking the side mirror off on a tree to avoid the water. The van bounced over the decorative cement patio and plowed through a wooden privacy gate. They came to a stop on the driveway as lights were turned on in the house and yelling could be heard.

Lizzy took a breath and looked at a neighborhood street. “Okay, here we go.” She turned right and headed toward the tourist helicopter tours. “How’s Grant doing?”

“I don’t know. I’m not going to ask, though. He’s focused on saving Valeria and that’s where his focus needs to be. Turn left, and it’s five blocks up on your right.”

Lizzy made the turn and saw the big bright sign promising to show you the stars from the sky. “Where’s Sebastian?”

“Heading south.”

“Will we be able to catch them?”

“Doubtful, but we’ll be able to hunt them.”

Lizzy stopped in the parking lot of the helicopter tours. “Then let’s go hunting.”