Page 121 of Road to Redemption

“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.”