Page 98 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

"How did you not find this

when I asked you to search her wrist earlier?" V asked.

"What are you talking about?" Liza said. "You never asked me to check her wrist."

"Yes I did. Well, I told Sadie. Don't you remember, Sadie? After I helped you get away from those guys at the hotel? I told you to get Liza to check your wrist."

"I thought you meant because I hurt my arm, V. Because of slamming against the building. But I was fine. I didn't tell Liza about it."

"Jesus." He ran his hands down his masked face. "We have to get it out. The Helspet Mafia is known for wearing tracking devices so that backup can always find them. I'm surprised they're not knocking down the door right now."

"But it's not her wrist," Liza said. "It's her forearm. And if it was a tracking device, you're right, they'd be here by now."

V was already walking toward the kitchen. He pulled a drawer open, slamming it against its hinges.

"What's going on?" Eli asked. He had just emerged from the room V kept locked.

I didn't have time to focus on what mysterious things they were doing behind that door. "What's in my arm then?"

V lifted up a knife. "A tracking device."

"V." My heart was racing too fast. The ticking was taking over my mind. "But Liza just said..."

"What else could it be? It's just a tracking device. Now let's get it out." He tore off one of his gloves and tossed it at me. "Bite down on that. Liza boil some water for me. There's a sewing kit in a drawer in the bathroom. Sterilize one of the needles."

"Whoa." Eli stepped in front of V. "What the hell are you doing, man?"

"We're pretty sure there's a tracking device in Sadie's arm. We need to cut it out."

Fuck. This was going to hurt a lot more than a needle. I lifted up the glove and put it in my mouth.

Eli knelt down beside me and slipped his hand into mine. "Hey, look at me."

I locked eyes with him.

"It's okay, Summer. I'm right here. V's going to get it out and..."

I screamed into the glove. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I remembered the knife cutting into my stomach. I remembered the feeling of metal inside of me.

Eli grabbed my chin and turned my face back to his. "Just a few more seconds. Take a deep breath."

And then the pain felt muted. I looked down and V was already stitching up the small cut in my arm.

"See. Just a tracking device." He lightly patted my back and tossed the small piece of bloody metal down onto the glass table. "Are you okay?" He turned my face away from Eli and removed the glove from my mouth. He gently ran his fingers through my hair.

I slowly nodded. I was fine. I was used to pain. But for some reason my tears didn't stop. The tracking device was written in my blood. It was supposed to be the answer. But it was nothing. It was just how Jane always knew where I'd be. It was why it always felt like someone was watching me.

V lifted up my arm and wrapped some gauze around it. Eli stayed crouched beside me, gently rubbing my knee. They weren't fighting. They were just supporting me. I felt a little dizzy when I saw the blood seeping through the bandage.

"Um...you guys?" Liza said. "It's...well, it's...vibrating."

We all turned toward the small device. And then it moved, leaving a small trail of blood on the table behind it. And a few seconds later it moved again.

The ticking. I had felt it pulsing inside of me.

"It's a bomb," V said. "It would explain why they couldn't find a bomb in that car explosion yesterday. Maybe it was inside of Jane."

"I don't think there are any bombs that small," Liza said. "It's so tiny. Right?"

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