64. Kiera
KIERA
The bikes pulled up to a huge gravel parking lot right off the road. Overhead, a massive neon sign read: Bennie’s Burgers and Fries. A cool blue light cast over the entire parking lot.
Hopping off the bike, my heart was still racing from Bill’s house.
Spencer threw off her helmet, helping Abi down and asking Leo to walk her inside. She marched off toward the road, still incensed by Bill’s behavior.
Following after her, Dom nodded toward Leo and I. “Get the kids inside and order food. We’ll be right in.”
Leo guided Abi toward the burger joint's front window while Caleb kicked rocks off to the side.
But as I looked at the single story restaurant, white paint and blue trim looking fresh, I scanned for cameras. “Is it safe? Why aren’t we going home.”
To Abi, Leo winked. “If you beat me inside, you can have my fries.”
Knowing Leo wanted a second alone, Abi rolled her eyes and walked ahead. Twelve was young but not so young that she didn’t know when the adults wanted a moment.
Leo turned back to me, grabbing my hand. “Abi loves this place. Dom probably just wanted to give us a place to cool off. The kids may want to go back home or they’ll want to come with us. But before we blow the mansion's cover, we should get them fed and thinking clearly.”
“But the cameras…” I looked around, trying to spot one.
“Still a deadzone, babe. They might be trying to watch every corner with their drones but there’s a lot of tree cover here.” Leo pointed toward the thick tree line just past Bennie’s.
At the service window, a young woman with a blue apron and a white uniform leaned over the sill. It was old school, a large glass window with small, slidable windows along the edge. The kitchen was just past the cash register and dozens of picnic benches sat in the lot.
There was seating inside, a few tables crammed into a small room.
“Don’t worry,” Leo’s voice was a low rumble. “The staff here are friends, we’re regulars. People around here don’t snitch easily.”
I knew what she meant. That these employees and this business were somehow connected to The Oracle. Whether I could understand it or not, this town was divided into two types of people: those that valued privacy and taking care of the weak; and those who wanted to exploit Valemont’s every corner.
“You’re sure?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Leo.
A slight laugh came from Leo’s chest. “Yes, Princess. We already put ourselves in danger by going to save them. Might as well get some good food out of it.” Reaching into her pockets, Leo grabbed a wad of cash and placed it in my palm.
“Take this and go order some food. Caleb knows what everyone likes.” She nodded toward the service window where Caleb stared up at the hand-drawn menu.
Leo gave my hand a squeeze before chasing after Abi who was just sitting down at an outdoor table.
Swallowing hard, I walked toward the teenage boy. “Alright, Caleb. What does everyone like?”
“Burgers.” His jaw flexed, still dealing with the anger.
“Got it. Want a soda or a shake or something?”
Caleb nodded. “Abi likes strawberry shakes.”
Noted.
The cashier, a nametag reading Marian, smiled up at me. “Hey, there. What can I get started for you?” Her eyes darted to my arm, where my sword and wings were on full display. A knowing glow came to her eyes as she waited for my order.
I tapped my fingers against the wood counter.
“Can we do 6 cheeseburgers…” Looking over my shoulder, I tried to check in with Caleb to see if that seemed right but he was staring at his phone.
“2 orders of chicken tenders. 6 fries. A strawberry milkshake, and two chicken sandwiches? Oh, and five sodas?”
Marian scribbled down some notes. “You got it. That’ll be $62.75.”
Retro burgers, retro prices.
Reaching into my pocket, I handed over $70 and told her to keep the change before taking a step back and waiting next to Caleb.
He didn’t look up from his phone, just keeping his eyes down. Over by the picnic tables, Leo and Abi played with straw wrappers and giggled.
Letting out a sigh, I leaned against a concrete post, meant to keep cars from pulling up too close to the service window. Inside, black and white linoleum checkered the floors and pink neon signs lit up the space.
Behind us, Spencer and Dom had disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Caleb hadn’t looked up from his screen at all.
Clicking my tongue, I started to wonder what could be so interesting.
Does he have a girlfriend?
Despite myself, I leaned back and peeked over his shoulder. Something must have been urgent for him to be so glued to his phone on such a shitty night.
My eyes scanned the screen, confused at first. Until I started to recognize the app he had open — the unmissable spy glass logo at the top of the page.
Spyre. Gabriel’s company. Why the fuck does Caleb have that?
I hardly knew the kid and I wanted him to like me. But I knew this was a no-go. We couldn’t bring them back to the house with spyware on his phone. If he realized who I was…
Without another thought, I snatched the phone from his hands. Flipping to the home screen, I deleted the app from his phone.
“What the fuck?!” Caleb gasped, stretching his arm out to try and snatch his phone back.
“Why do you have this?” My brows furrowed, staring him down.
Shaking his head, Caleb’s mouth hung open. “It’s a stupid game, the guys in my grade see who can submit the most data. They pay for anything useful.”
Under my breath, I tossed the phone back to him. “It’s not a game.”
“Why’d you delete it?” He was irritated, the bad night catching up with this normal well-mannered kid. “Cause they’re looking for you?”
My stomach flipped.
He recognizes me.
When we first met at the arcade, I’d put on a disguise, a wig and a cap. Enough to not make my very common name into an immediate red flag. But without the wig tonight, Caleb must have connected the dots. Admittedly, my bright red hair was like a beacon for prying eyes.
There was no time for a disguise — or a strategy — tonight. All we could do was get these kids out of their dad’s grasp as quickly as possible.
Caleb stepped forward just as our tray of food was placed on the counter. “Don’t worry, I haven’t submitted anything on you. I wouldn’t rat on Spencer’s girlfriend.”
I followed him, grabbing the second tray and hissing my words into a whisper. “Just keep your mouth shut and don’t mention the app to the others.”
His face scrunched up, a bit confused by the request. But he wasn’t going to question it, not after the night he had.
Behind us, Dom clapped her hands together as she and Spencer reappeared from the dark woods. “I’m hungry, let’s eat.”
As soon as I turned round, blue plastic tray in hand, Dom’s temple tensed. She could have read my face from space. Without asking, she couldn’t know what was wrong, but she’d clocked a change.
I needed to figure out how to hide my expressions from her if I ever had a hope of winning poker.
Swallowing hard, I brought the tray to the table with Caleb and sat down. Dom squeezed in next to me, her broad shoulders pressing into mine as we ate.
Abi was laughing and giggling again, everyone sneaking her bits of their food and making sure to lighten her mood. Even Caleb was starting to crack, a smile teasing his lips as he watched all of us goof off.
We cleared our trays, setting them back on the service window before hopping back on the motorcycles. As we drove toward the house, about to let Caleb and Abi in on our little hideout, fear gripped my chest.
It was clear to me that Caleb couldn’t keep his temper. But all I could do now was pray that he could keep a secret.