CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

Caitlin sat in the passenger seat while Caleb floored their car, Sam and Polly in the back. They had picked them up on the way and Polly was tracking Scarlet’s movements on her iphone. They all sped down Route 99, each on edge, Caleb doing 100 miles an hour as he raced for Pete’s.

“I see her blue dot!” Polly yelled out, glued to her phone. “She’s still there. We’re getting closer. I see it!”

“I hope it’s really her, not just her phone,” Caitlin said, with a sinking feeling.

For the millionth time, she agonized over what her daughter could be doing at Pete’s. She wondered again if she’d made a mistake to leave for so long, to go to Paris, if she should’ve stayed here, at home, and done whatever she could to protect her. She felt overwhelmed with waves of guilt and anxiety.

But she at least took comfort in being here with Caleb and Polly and Sam. It would be a rough crowd at Pete’s, and if there were any altercations, there was no one she’d rather have there than Caleb and Sam. Betwe