“No, and I’m telling you the truth,” he defended, correctly reading me.

“Fine.” I swallowed. “Keep talking. Start from the beginning. Where’d you meet Lennon in the first place?” I asked while reading Izzy’s response to the messages I’d sent.

Izzy: The plot thickens.

Me: Tell me about it.

Izzy: Not sure if this family connection to Dylan is a good or bad thing yet. (I need to dig some more.)

“I met Lennon online before we moved here,” Colin relented, pulling my focus back to him.

“Online?” I wasn’t following. “You’re a kid. What are you doing meeting girls online?”

“Not a kid. And everyone meets online these days, not just old farts like you.”

He could’ve used worse words, so I let his insult slide. “Which app? How?”

“Why?”

“So I know which company to take over and shut down.” Not a bluff. “I’d like to know what app facilitated bringing my son into a life of crime.”

I could always invade his privacy and check for the app since I’d cloned his phone, but I was trying to behave. And, oh, he had no idea how much I was trying.

“Say that again,” he said after a quiet moment, his words snatching my attention to the fact that he was staring at me, mouth agape.

I replayed what on earth I’d said that merited repeating. It slammed into me later than it should have. “My son.” I probably breathed those two words into existence, doubtful any sound came with them.

I turned away from him, needing a few seconds to catch my breath and cope. I couldn’t let him see any signs of weakness from me. Not when the repercussions were so severe.

“Lennon and I have been dating for eight months. Our anniversary was the other day.” Nice deflection on the app. “We met because . . .”

Because what? I swiveled around at his lack of follow-through. “Because what?” I asked out loud that time.

“Just forget it.” He pushed away from the counter, stood, and walked into the living room, forcing me to follow. “Anyway.” He shrugged off whatever had bothered him. “I had hoped we’d move here one day, then Mom landed the job, so Lennon and I took things to the next level once I was here.”

God help me, did I want to know what that level was? Probably not.

“And like hell am I breaking up with her.” He whirled around, a dare to object in his eyes. “So you can forget that. I love her.”

Love? Such a big word for a kid. I kept that part to myself, not looking to antagonize him further.

“Just tell me you’re always safe. You use protection, don’t you?” I couldn’t believe those words came out of my mouth, but I had no choice but to check if that was the level he was referring to.