time, giving me the passenger seat to myself.
Victor’s eyebrow arched. “You’re hungry?”
“I thought you were and that’s why you stopped. But I could eat.”
“No, I’m here for the Wi-Fi.” Victor parked the car. He leaned over to pick up the satchel he’d brought. “What I’m doing might not be legal.”
“It’s your phone,” Silas said. “I’m pretty sure you can break your own phone.”
“Not sure if they want people knowing about how to do it.”
Silas grunted, folding his arms across his chest and sitting back. “Should I take her somewhere else for this? Should I take her inside for something? If you’re that worried—”
“I’m more worried about the cameras inside,” Victor started up his laptop, and took out my phone, opening the back.
I kicked my sandals off, putting my bare feet up and drawing my knees into my chest. “Do we not like cameras?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t want any witnesses to where you are right now.”
Silas chuckled. “Yeah. I see what she means when she says we’re overprotective.”
Victor shot him a look through the rearview mirror. “I don’t want us trying to prove she’s at her house, and someone inside just happens to go to our school and informs the guy we’re here instead. I don’t want any chance of him figuring out we’ve gotten ahead of him if we can trick him this way.” He grunted. “Or fine. I’m paranoid. We’re only going to be here for a minute. Will you guys just chill out?”
Silas held up his hands. “I’m kidding, Vic.”
Victor focused on the laptop. I leaned against the door, watching cars drive through, and the people inside eating and moving around. It reminded me of when my father would sometimes have to drive us somewhere, and we’d see all these people doing normal things and still feel like an outsider. Here I was with Academy guys, on what should be a normal evening. Instead, we were doing possibly illegal hacking to track down a stalker who may try to hurt us. I’d gone from being simply awkward to being completely weird. Like I’d traveled a long way, only to feel like I was stuck in the same place.
“Okay,” Victor said. “Let’s turn this on and see if we get anything.”
Silas sat up, leaning over the center console. I stayed where I was, kind of afraid to see, afraid to jinx the plan.
Victor pressed the phone’s button. The screen illuminated, started up.
Nothing.
“Is it getting a signal?” Silas asked.
Victor tapped the top of the screen. “It should be.”
“Is hooking it up to your laptop messing it up?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Should I turn my phone on and try to send her a message?”
Victor huffed. “We can’t turn on your phone now unless you want to give away your location.”
“So?”
“So we’re not supposed to be letting this guy know where any of us are. I’d have to rig your phone, too, and I can only do one at a time.”
“What if I’m not in one location?” Silas asked.
Victor focused on him. “What?”
“What if I walked around downtown? Or drove? The signal would go out but I wouldn’t be in one location. I mean he could track it, but he can’t keep up if I’m driving at random.”
Victor stared quietly, as if contemplating this strategy. He snapped his laptop shut. “Silas, I love you.”
♥♥♥
V ictor had us drop him off at the college a couple of miles away. He waved us off after we both offered to go with him.
“Drive around town,” he said. “I’ll be okay here. No one’s going to notice a guy with a laptop walking around on campus.”
Silas took over driving the BMW. The city soon disappeared behind us. Silas weaved his way through small boroughs until he found the nearly abandoned highway he wanted. After a few miles, there was nothing around us except for trees and the occasional farm to break up the monotony.
“So how do you know about this road?” I asked.
“I go out driving by myself a lot,” he said. His
Victor’s eyebrow arched. “You’re hungry?”
“I thought you were and that’s why you stopped. But I could eat.”
“No, I’m here for the Wi-Fi.” Victor parked the car. He leaned over to pick up the satchel he’d brought. “What I’m doing might not be legal.”
“It’s your phone,” Silas said. “I’m pretty sure you can break your own phone.”
“Not sure if they want people knowing about how to do it.”
Silas grunted, folding his arms across his chest and sitting back. “Should I take her somewhere else for this? Should I take her inside for something? If you’re that worried—”
“I’m more worried about the cameras inside,” Victor started up his laptop, and took out my phone, opening the back.
I kicked my sandals off, putting my bare feet up and drawing my knees into my chest. “Do we not like cameras?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t want any witnesses to where you are right now.”
Silas chuckled. “Yeah. I see what she means when she says we’re overprotective.”
Victor shot him a look through the rearview mirror. “I don’t want us trying to prove she’s at her house, and someone inside just happens to go to our school and informs the guy we’re here instead. I don’t want any chance of him figuring out we’ve gotten ahead of him if we can trick him this way.” He grunted. “Or fine. I’m paranoid. We’re only going to be here for a minute. Will you guys just chill out?”
Silas held up his hands. “I’m kidding, Vic.”
Victor focused on the laptop. I leaned against the door, watching cars drive through, and the people inside eating and moving around. It reminded me of when my father would sometimes have to drive us somewhere, and we’d see all these people doing normal things and still feel like an outsider. Here I was with Academy guys, on what should be a normal evening. Instead, we were doing possibly illegal hacking to track down a stalker who may try to hurt us. I’d gone from being simply awkward to being completely weird. Like I’d traveled a long way, only to feel like I was stuck in the same place.
“Okay,” Victor said. “Let’s turn this on and see if we get anything.”
Silas sat up, leaning over the center console. I stayed where I was, kind of afraid to see, afraid to jinx the plan.
Victor pressed the phone’s button. The screen illuminated, started up.
Nothing.
“Is it getting a signal?” Silas asked.
Victor tapped the top of the screen. “It should be.”
“Is hooking it up to your laptop messing it up?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Should I turn my phone on and try to send her a message?”
Victor huffed. “We can’t turn on your phone now unless you want to give away your location.”
“So?”
“So we’re not supposed to be letting this guy know where any of us are. I’d have to rig your phone, too, and I can only do one at a time.”
“What if I’m not in one location?” Silas asked.
Victor focused on him. “What?”
“What if I walked around downtown? Or drove? The signal would go out but I wouldn’t be in one location. I mean he could track it, but he can’t keep up if I’m driving at random.”
Victor stared quietly, as if contemplating this strategy. He snapped his laptop shut. “Silas, I love you.”
♥♥♥
V ictor had us drop him off at the college a couple of miles away. He waved us off after we both offered to go with him.
“Drive around town,” he said. “I’ll be okay here. No one’s going to notice a guy with a laptop walking around on campus.”
Silas took over driving the BMW. The city soon disappeared behind us. Silas weaved his way through small boroughs until he found the nearly abandoned highway he wanted. After a few miles, there was nothing around us except for trees and the occasional farm to break up the monotony.
“So how do you know about this road?” I asked.
“I go out driving by myself a lot,” he said. His
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