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screwing with us.” He paused, as if gathering his thoughts, then turned and rushed towards the exit.
    Rana grabbed Dayla’s hand and followed.
     

Chapter Five
     
    As he drove to the restaurant, Levin rubbed his neck. How long had someone been watching him and his sisters? Since home? Since they arrived in San Diego? His stomach sank again when he mentally reread the note. They knew what he searched on his laptop. He’d been careless to use a public wifi network, and now whoever tracked him had the upper hand.
    Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pressed the accelerator, determined to discover who invaded his privacy.
    He found the place with five minutes to spare and faced his sisters. “Stay in the car. If everything inside looks legit, I’ll wave you in.”
    They nodded.
    As he approached the door, he drummed his fingers on his leg, and when he reached for the handle, he hesitated.
    What if these people were dangerous?
    This is a public place. Whoever this is won’t try anything here.
    He took a reassuring breath and pulled the door open.
    Poking his head inside, he took off his sunglasses and looked around. A small bar and several tables and booths filled the interior, and generic pop music played through the speakers. Patrons filled half of the space; he recognized one of them.
    He waved the girls to the front door. “Scott’s in a booth near the kitchen. I want you two to sit at a different table.” He scanned the interior again. “Go sit at the empty one by the window so I can see you.” He gave them money for their food. They walked to their table, and he headed towards the booth.
    Scott rose to greet him. “Levin. You must have received my note.” He shook Levin’s hand with a firm grip and smiled widely.
    “ Your note? Should I call you Patrice?”
    Scott laughed. “Please, take a seat. The girls are welcome to join us. I’m paying for everyone’s meals either way.”
    “I can cover our own food.” Levin scowled. “And I prefer to keep our conversation between the two of us.”
    “Suit yourself.”
    A waitress with frizzy hair and a frown approached, and the men placed their orders. Scott instructed her to include Rana and Dayla on his bill.
    Levin’s jaw dropped, and he started to restate his position but sat back. It wasn’t worth the argument, and he had bigger issues at hand.
    “Well, Levin, it’s nice to finally meet you. If you don’t mind my asking, how did your mom choose your name? It’s one of the more unusual ones I’ve heard.”
    “Oh, well, my mom wanted to name me after her grandpa, but his first name was Otis. She worried I’d get picked on, so she gave me his last name for my first name.”
    Scott nodded. “I see. And how do you like it?”
    “I still got picked on, but it’s fine now.” He sat back and crossed his arms, ready to cut the small talk. “How long have you been watching us? I don’t appreciate being followed.”
    Scott must have realized Levin’s serious tone and responded in kind. “We’ve had our eyes on you since you arrived in San Diego and not before, I assure you.”
    “Why? Why all the sneaking around and secret thumb drives and paying off baristas and hidden messages under signs? We could’ve met for breakfast and saved a whole day.”
    “That was a bit of a test. We know of the high intelligence of you and your sisters, and we wanted to see how much you could figure out on your own.”
    “We didn’t figure out that much. The article meant nothing, and Dayla noticed the map. That’s it. And how would you know about our ‘high intelligence’?”
    Scott folded his arms on the table and leaned forward. “Let me guess: you graduated high school at sixteen or seventeen with half of your college credits already earned, went straight into a Bachelor’s program, and graduated by nineteen. What kind of scholarship did you receive? Sports?”
    Levin glared at him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being right. “Soccer.” He