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Jenny released a sigh that could only be described as long-suffering.
“Are you by any chance on the same phone plan as your parents?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Give me your phone,” she ordered.
“What? Why?”
“Give it to me.”
I pulled it out of my bag and handed it to her. As we passed it off, my hand slid along hers and I felt the strangest thing, it was almost like I’d touched something that had a low current.
“Unlock it please,” she said, turning the screen back towards me.
After I input my password Jenny tapped a few buttons, then showed me the phone again. “You don’t need to implant a chip when you have Find My Phone.”
“Huh?”
She pointed at the screen. “Your phone is linked with your parents as well as someone named Tony, someone named Bill, and something called Command Center. See all the dots on the map?”
My eyes widened. “Oh shit, are you saying…”
“Any of these people can tell your exact location at any time, just by looking at their own phone. Look here, we can see that Tony and Bill are still outside your work right now.”
I recoiled away from the phone as if it had turned into a snake. Jenny tapped another button, then gave me a grim look.
“Based on the location, they’re also tracking your Apple Watch, and something called ‘Blair’s Wallet’ which has an AirTag. If you don’t want them following you across the country, you’re gonna need to turn all that shit off.”
Grabbing the phone from her, I felt pure rage. It was closely followed by embarrassment. Why hadn’t I figured this out myself? What right did people have to track me without my knowledge? I squeezed my hand around the phone so hard I heard it squeak in protest. It was all I could do not to throw it out the window.
“How do I turn it off?” I bit out. “Permanently.”
“I’ll show you.”
I handed the phone back and Jenny turned off location services on my phone, then powered it down while I did the same thing with my Apple Watch. Then she dug the AirTag out of the compartment in my wallet which I’d never noticed and removed the battery, tossing it in the cupholder.
“Even with tracking off, your watch and phone will emit a signal that can ping the cell towers. You should keep them off until you get back if you really want to be off grid.”
I winced in embarrassment. I had no idea about any of this.
“I feel stupid that I didn’t know tracking my devices was even possible.”
Jenny’s face was kind. “A lot of people don’t realize how much their electronics are sharing locations, that’s how stalkers track people down without their knowledge.”
“Well, thanks for figuring it out and turning it off,” I said. “Or this trip would have been over faster than I wanted it to be.”
“I want to be honest with you,” Jenny said. “I don’t like this. I don’t like it at all. You have parents who already experienced a kidnapping once and I don’t want there to be any chance they think I’ve taken you against your will. I do not want to go to jail for you, or anyone else.”
“I would never let that happen Jenny, I promise. Besides, Katy’s dad owns your company, right? Katy knows everything.”
When she didn’t say anything I added, “Please. I’ve been looking forward to this my whole life.”
“You want to do the All-American road trip to see the country and experience life like a regular person, right?”
“Right.”
“In that case, you’re going to let me be in charge. No fancy hotels, no expensive restaurants. We’re gonna stay at roadside hotels and eat gas station snacks like normal people do on a road trip.”
