Page 45 of Burn

“That’s helpful.” If they had to find the thing.

“Can you get into the…”

“Machine?” Since I already had a window open to let myself into their equipment. I spared him a look. “Who are you talking to?”

“Just checking,” Lunchbox said.

The screen generated an image and we both found the tracker almost immediately. It was in her back. Not somewhere easily accessible. Thankfully, they did a full set of scans to make sure she didn’t have any others.

I bit into my burger while we waited. Scrolling the images let me watch their backs. Unsurprising was when Bones arrived. Of course, he’d go there to spell Voodoo out. Even if they drove all night they were easily a little under twenty-four hours away.

They wouldn’t drive all night. Not when they would want to make sure they’d flushed any possible tails and verify that her tracker was gone. Then they could bring her here.

Lunchbox’s phone rang and he showed me the contact was Bones before he answered it by hitting speaker. “You’ve got both of us here.”

“I figured,” Bones said, his tone dry. “Find us a place to stay for the night. She’s going to need rack time and Voodoo’s been running point all day.”

“Funny how that happens,” Lunchbox said in a droll tone. “Particularly with both of us right there. We could have all been on the road with her and no one would be tired.”

“Save your bitching for later,” Bones said. “Just get us a secure bunk for the night. Once we’re in the clear, we’ll head to you.”

“You planning to let her call her sister while out there?” I already knew the answer when I asked. At the same time, it was the one thing most vibrantly important to her. More delays would just upset her.

They didn’t wanthercalling. Didn’t mean I couldn’t hunt.

“Save it for later,” Bones said. “I’ll check in when we’re back on the road.”

Then he was gone. It didn’t take long for me to track down a decent place. It wasn’t fancy, but it was available for online rental and you didn’t need to have contact with anyone. After I booked it, I forwarded all the information to Bones.

It took about an hour, but Gracie emerged from the x-ray room with a definite look of discomfort on her face. They had a brief conversation, then they were leaving. I tracked them all the way to the car.

No one was watching that I could see. No one to deal with, so while they drove, I started up a new search window.

“I’ll get us more coffee,” Lunchbox said. “Then help with the search.”

I nodded as I typed in Amorette Black’s name.

Let’s see what we could see.

Chapter

Sixteen

GRACE

After the doctor applied the compression bandage and held it in place, he detailed the next few days to Bones and Voodoo. I still couldn’t believe there had been a tracker inside of me. It had been just below my shoulder blades. I couldn’t quite reach it with my hands, which would have made it impossible to remove on my own.

“You can shower,” the doctor said, meeting my look. “The bandage is waterproof. Leave it in place for at least three days, five would be ideal. Then you can remove it.” He passed over a sheet of paper. I had to wonder if his name was on it. So far, we hadn’t said our names nor had he given us his. Maybe that was how they did things. “Things to keep an eye on, if you begin to run a fever or the area becomes hot to the touch, go to a doctor. Also… avoid any heavy lifting over the next four days or so.”

That seemed pretty basic and straightforward.

“Thank you, Doctor,” I said as I eased off the table. Voodoo had stayed with me for every piece of this. Weirdly, his presence helped when I had to lay face down and the doctor dug the tracker out.

I’d gotten to see it briefly, and it looked just like an air tag that I would put in my luggage, just smaller. The tiny looking flat pill was how they kept finding me. I’d be safe now, right?

“You’re welcome,” he said, his stern visage relaxing into an encouraging smile. “You be careful and listen to these reprobates. They might be surly, but they know their stuff.” The older man with his salt and pepper hair made me think of sharing butterscotch candies and sitting around the diner playing checkers in the summer.

There’d been a lot of men like him when Am and I were growing up. They were everyone’s uncles and grandparents. They would buy you a soda when you were short the money, and teach you how to thread bait properly on a hook. If you had a school project, you could more often than not find a volunteer and his friends to help you set it up.

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