Page 56 of Night Watch
“A tracker,” Erik said. “They’re often put on keychains and other items that might get lost. But an unscrupulous person could put one in a purse or bag and track another person without them knowing about it.”
“Couldn’t she just have bought one to keep track of her purse?” Aiden asked.
“As I said before, she wasn’t into technology,” Kennedy said. “And if she put it in there, why hide it in the lining of her own purse?”
“Someone was tracking her,” Clay stated.
“Can you trace trackers like this back to the owner?” Aiden asked.
“Perhaps,” Erik said. “With access to Tile’s records, we could figure out who’s following it. The thing is, without a warrant, we would have no luck in accessing those records. Plus, I’d guess a bogus email account was set up for this item, and even with Tile’s records, we won’t find who put it there.”
“But you’ll try?” Kennedy asked.
“Of course. And because this was in your mother’s purse, it’s possible there’s one in yours. We should check.”
“Mine?” Her heart dropped. “But when could he have put something in my stuff?”
She could almost see the thoughts pinging through Erik’s head, and he grimaced. “While you were sleeping. Working in the lab concentrating so fiercely you didn’t see him enter the waiting area. Anywhere in public that he could brush up against you or access your purse. Maybe even at your mom’s funeral.”
Her stomach clenched. “And that’s how he knew where we were.”
Erik nodded. “Probably. And if he was nearby, he would’ve had plenty of time to set up for the shooting.”
“I doubt it would be in my purse. I brought it to my mom’s place, and the tracker would have placed me there. If he’d known I was there, he wouldn’t have broken in.”
“If the person who’s using the tracker is the same person behind the break-in,” Drake pointed out.
“For the moment, let’s assume it is,” Erik said.
“Then let’s check my backpack. I usually shove my purse in it and carry both with me, but I left my pack in the lab the night the intruder broke in.” Heart thumping, Kennedy jumped up and hurried across the room to grab her backpack. She dumped the contents onto the table and combed through the items. “Nothing here.”
“What about the zipper pockets?” Erik asked.
She slid them open one by one, taking far longer to do so than normal, as she had to use her left hand. Her pulse raced, and she fumbled even more. Erik looked like he wanted to take the pack from her, but if someone was tracking her, she wanted to see it for herself.
In the smallest of pockets, one she never used, she felt an object about the right size.No.
She looked up at the brothers, who were all watching. Waiting. She pulled her hand free then unfurled it to display the tracker on her palm.
Erik’s sharp intake of air said it all.
Someone had been tracking her movements, and she had no idea who or for how long.
The office door opened, grabbing Kennedy’s attention from the worried brothers’ faces and from the deathly silence in the room.
Sierra walked in, shoving her hands into the pockets of her lab coat and running her gaze over the group. “What’s with all the tension?”
“We took fire from a machine gun near Nora’s house.” Erik’s words were flat, as if his life hadn’t been on the line. “And we just learned someone was tracking Wanda and Kennedy.”
Her gaze swung from face to face. “Everyone okay?”
“We’re fine but you should see the SUV.” Aiden tsked.
“Thanks to your planning ahead, wearefine.” Erik peered at his brother. “Thanks for saving our lives, bro. I can never repay you.”
“Yes, thank you,” Kennedy added.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed, but he gave a firm nod. “Going forward, we need to assume this attack wasn’t only meant for Kennedy.”
