“The girl is Colt. She was working for her parents, but business was slow, they weren’t paying her, and now she’s working for Nailbiter.”

“Working how?” Tristan asked.

“Muscle, I guess?” Kenzie asked.

“She can’t weigh more than a hundred and thirty pounds,” Tristan said.

“Okay, well, she’s hanging out with Nailbiter and she’s getting paid, I think, because she’s had new clothes lately,” Kenzie said.

“You’ve been watching her?” I asked. “How do you know all of this?”

“I’m not watching her watching her. That makes it sound like I’m being creepy spying on people. Geez. It’s because they keep having shouting matches at night, and idle cameras go on alert mode at loud noises, so I end up hearing stuff.”

“So you’re being creepy eavesdropping on people,” Chris said.

Kenzie glanced around her desk. “I’d throw something at you if I could find something I’m okay breaking.”

“Family issue, okay, but what’s going on now?” Tristan asked.

“And do we need to step in?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Kenzie said. “Colt left the place to go talk to Nailbiter on the street, and they started to leave when Colt’s mom, Tammy, went after her and stopped her. Her sister, who’s about my age, she went outside with Tammy the mom and ran back inside.”

“Audio?” Sveta asked.

Kenzie hit a key.

Chris asked, “Who names their kid Colt? Or is that a shitty nickname?” Chris’s second question had him inadvertently talk over the start of the audio feed. Kenzie shushed him.

“…cking let me go!”

“Get inside! You’re still in trouble for stealing!”

“Fuck you! I deserved something!”

“She’s been helping, you haven’t!”

“The one time she helps, you decide to pay her, and I get fuck all because it’s the one time I decided to go out instead!? Fuck that, fuck you!”

“Is this how we’re doing this!?” the mom screamed at Nailbiter, ignoring her daughter for the moment. “You want money from us while you’re scaring away the business, and now you’re taking my little girl, too!?”

“I’m not fucking little!”

“She decides,” Nailbiter’s voice had a slight whistle around the words. “I’m losing patience, Colt. If I walk away from here without you, I’m not bringing you along again.”

“I decide, not her!” the mother raised her voice. “I’m the mother!”

“Then the two of you need to decide,” Nailbiter said. “Now.”

Colt hauled back, her arm still in the firm grip of her mother’s two hands.

I looked at the door. If I flew over now—

A sound of an impact made me look back to the screen. Colt’s mother had turned away. Colt had her free hand raised. She’d slapped her mother.