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“Good.”

“But they could come back,” Nitro says, bouncing on his heels.

“True. But why would they look here in the first place?” I ask Julia.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been here before. Max, have you been to this restaurant before?”

“No.” He pulls apart his sandwich, marveling at the way the cheese stretches.

“Do you have a cell phone?” I ask Max.

“Yeah.” He shoves the piece he’s been playing with into his mouth.

“Can I see it?”

“Okay.” He digs it out of his backpack and hands it over.

I scroll through his apps, looking for tracking apps. Years ago, Matrix taught us how to check for trackers on our phones. We do it daily.

The app’s on the last page. I delete it before dropping the phone to the floor and crushing it under my boot.

“That’s my phone!” Max’s bottom lip quivers.

“I’ll get you a new one.” I turn to Julia. “It had a tracker app. It could have hardware monitoring his GPS location, too.”

“I understand.” Her gaze is riveted on the shattered pieces.

“We can’t stay here. If the cops come back and want to search the clubhouse for some reason, first, they’ll need a fucking warrant. But second, we can’t be here.”

“You taking them to Nina’s?” Nitro asks as if reading my mind.

“It’s the only safe place,” I say.

“Who’s Nina?” Julia asks.

“She’s like … our grandmother.” That’s the easiest way to explain our relationship without revealing too much.

“More like a fairy godmother,” Nitro says.

“Basically,” I agree.

“I’ll call and tell her you’re on your way,” Nitro says.

“We’ll take the rig.”

“It’s gassed up in the garage.”

“As soon as he’s done with his sandwich.” I jerk my head toward where Max is sitting. He seems to have gotten over the phone situation quickly, which is good. He’s resilient. A good quality to have when you’re dealing with a hellish situation.

“Want me to ride with you?” Nitro asks, still bouncing.

“Yeah. Grab Talon, too.” When Matrix walks into the room, I turn to him. “I need you to find out everything you can on a … What’s Max’s dad’s name?”

“Lyle Curtis,” Julia says.

“Get the fuck out of here!” Nitro stops bouncing. “He’s the sheriff’s son?”

“Yep,” Julia says softly. “See why it’s an impossible situation?”