Page 73 of Like You Know

“I can’t go into specifics of what evidence we already have.” Four feminine, exasperated sighs filled the air, but Jet just raised his voice slightly and kept speaking. “And not just because of legal reasons. It’s too complex, too many different angles and connecting stings to go over. Some of it may be related to your mom’s kidnapping, but none of it may be. The best approach is to find her—solve this crime—and see if we can connect it back to BestLyf.”

“How would we connect it back to BestLyf?” Mena asked.

“You wouldn’t do anything. We—as in, the police—would need solid evidence.”

“Like ...” Donna made a beckoning gesture that invited him to go on.

“Like tracking down the car and having it be registered to someone in BestLyf, but the plates were stolen and we can’t find it. Like arresting the two assholes who grabbed her and getting their confessions, but that’s been a dead end so far. Like getting confirmed correspondence between Raine and the kidnappers saying, in no uncertain terms, ‘go steal this person.’ Like finding your mom in a building owned by BestLyf or Raine Clayton.”

“Can’t you just search all the properties owned by BestLyf?” I asked.

“On what grounds?” He gave me a desperate look and shook his head, dejected.

“What if you knew where Vivian was being held?” Donna suggested. I could see the wheels turning in her head.

“Then we would be able to go get her, assuming the information was solid.”

“How solid? What if it was from an anonymous source?”

“It would need to be a very reliable source or come with very convincing information. Especially if the property happens to be tied to BestLyf.”

“What are you thinking, D?” I asked.

“I’m thinking we know a lot of people in high and low places, and it’s time we start getting in touch.”

“I have a list of BestLyf-owned properties,” Harlow announced, pulling her laptop out of a bag on the floor. “And those owned privately by BestLyf members. Although that second list is still being compiled.”

“What?” Jet gaped at her. “How? Compiled by whom?”

“I can speak to Jayden. I don’t think he’ll know anything, but it’s worth a shot,” Mena said.

“Mena, no. You don’t have to do that.” I shook my head. He was her bully, and she’d just offered to casually call him and ask about a major crime that had recently been committed.

“I know I don’t. But it’s OK. I’m OK. I got this.” She gave me a confident smile and pulled her phone out, walking over to stand by the window.

“I’ll try Will. He fucking owes me.” Donna pulled her phone out too, ready to call her piece-of-shit ex.

Harlow clicked away at her keyboard, probably talking to some hooded figure in a dodgy corner of the internet.

My throat got tight as I watched them go into action. For me. I’d lost track of the number of times I’d cried or held back tears in the past few days. I truly had the best friends in the world.

I made a fresh pot of coffee and called Nicola. Our friend’s mom was a famous actress and had been involved with BestLyf for years. Nicola herself constantly talked about the youth program. They may have been too entrenched in the whole web, but I figured it was worth a shot.

For the rest of the morning, we made phone calls and had unpleasant and sometimes boring conversations.

Jayden didn’t know anything, but he did give Mena the number of one of his dad’s friends who used to be at BestLyf but was firmly in the “they are the devil” camp now. We couldn’t get through to him, but Jet took the information and passed it on to his colleagues to look into—anyone who hated BestLyf could be helpful in providing information to bring them down.

Will was a dick on the phone. I could only hear Donna’s side of the conversation, but I could tell she was losing her patience. In the end, he gave us a few addresses in the surrounding Devilbend area—places that had been used for the illegal fights his dad ran.

My conversation with Nicola was pointless and painful. She’d heard about my mom’s kidnapping and was being a supportive friend—asking questions, offering to come over. I didn’t know how to come out and say, “Hey, does your mom know any places where her self-improvement cult might be holding my mom hostage?” and I couldn’t figure out how to bring up BestLyf in a roundabout way.

Harlow had a whole army of hackers using definitely illegal means to look at security camera footage around the list of addresses she had. But there were a lot of addresses, and it was taking forever.

Jet had moved to the other side of the room and would cover his ears anytime Harlow opened her mouth. His attempts to avoid seeing or hearing anything illegal would’ve been amusing if I weren’t in an almost constant state of panic.

“Thanks for trying, guys,” I said, feeling defeated as I passed around the Chinese takeout we’d ordered for lunch.

“We’re not done.” Harlow covered my hand with hers. “I still have my guys checking the addresses.”