“How’s Hannah doing?” I ask as he plugs the phone into his computer.
“She’s good. She’s a teacher now, has a wife, and a baby on the way.”
“Good for her. I’m glad to hear it.” Justus’s sister spent eight years being sold and used by human traffickers until Justus and his group of hacker vigilantes helped rescue her. We met soon after that when he wanted some help dealing with one of the men involved.
Justus spends an hour or so working before reaching out to Landon. “He says he can help. We have to go to him though. It’s too sunny today. You can follow me.”
“I completely forgot he can’t be in the sun.” Landon has a genetic disorder where even the smallest amount of UV light severely burns him, so he stays inside during the day. “How’s he been?”
“He has some scars now, but he’s fine. He had his windows coated with a protective layer at home, and you know he has that jumpsuit he wears if hehasto be outside.”
“What a nightmare.”
“It sucks for sure,” Justus says, handing my phone back to me and picking up his car keys. “But he deals with it.”
Landon’s house is on the more affluent side of town and much larger. I’m not sure what I expect him to look like after that warning. I’ve seen burn scars before, how they can twist and melt the skin and features, but Landon isn’t like that. Hisface, arms, and hands have a rougher look about them and some discolored spots, but nothing outright disfiguring.
He leads us back to a large room with computers and servers lining the perimeter. It looks like something out of a movie. “Do you have anyone you suspect? Someone you know has your number?”
“No, that’s what concerns me. I changed my number. No one from my past has it.”
Landon takes a seat in front of one of the large monitors. “It isn’t hard to get your new number. Anyone who knows your name can search for your address and any numbers associated with it. Unlisted doesn’t mean anything anymore. The information is still out there if you know where to look.”
There’s some relief in that. Someone could’ve recognized me or just saw my name in one of the old news articles about Isla and searched to find my number. Or even someone who knew her and wants to be a dick.
Landon accepts my phone and opens the text. “People tend to think their call can’t be traced if they block their number. It may hide it from the recipient, but the phone company or provider still has a record of the number.”
“Will the company share that information?”
Landon and Justus share a brief amused glance before Landon replies, “Not voluntarily. Not without a court order.”
“So, you’re hacking the provider to get the number?”
“I’ll have to get into multiple providers since we don’t know which one it came from, but yes, that’s the idea.” He glances at me. “Get comfortable. This may take a while.”
He isn’t kidding. Landon still hasn’t managed to figure out where the call came from by evening. “I’m afraid we’re dealing with someone who knows how to cover their tracks. Do you plan to stay in town for a while?”
“I can’t. I have to get back to work.” I told Silver it could be a couple of days just in case, but I don’t intend to stay that long. Hopefully, I can head back soon.
“I’ll keep working on it. If you’re willing, I can put some software on your phone that will let me remote in. If you get another text, I’ll be able to see it.”
“Alright.”
He tilts his head to look me in the eye. “It’ll technically give me full access to everything on your phone. I’ll only be looking at your texts and data associated with them, but you should know that. It’s not something you let just anyone have access to.”
“It’s fine. If you screw me over, I know where you live.”
“I’d kick his ass before you had the chance,” Justus jokes.
Landon scoffs, typing on my phone. “Stripper threats aren’t intimidating.”
I can’t help my grin at the look of offense on Justus’s face. “Big talk for a man who can be taken down by a fluorescent light. Besides, I gave up exotic dancing years ago and you know it.”
Their group is an interesting one. Vigilantes who call themselves In Safe Hands, or ISH, includes a man who can’t be in sunlight, an ex-con, a male stripper, and a former soldier.
“Is there anything else you need from me?” I ask Landon, once he hands my phone back to me.
“No, I’ll be in touch if I find something.”
