Xena''s POV


    Xena Logan caught my attention, giving me a meaningful look. Logan had obviously noticed it too. But I was still caught up in various emotions at that moment, my mouth felt dry, and I had forgotten to respond to Logan entirely.


    "I think it smells amazing!" Ryder ced his hand on my lower back saving me from having to answer. I instinctively looked toward Ryder, who gave me an innocent smife. I reached out and touched hand resting on my back.


    "Let''s eat!" Dad said quickly, starting to put small burgers on his own te. Martha took one with an expressionless face, leaned down to smell it, then pushed it aside with a disgusted expression.


    I put some bread, sd, and pasta on my te until the small burgers were passed to me. Not sure how hungry I actually was, I put one on my te and continued passing them. Logan took three, as if he knew he loved eating them.


    "So, Ryder. Were you able to eliminate the tunnels?" Dad asked.


    I grabbed the small burger and took a bite. The moment the vors hit my tongue, recognition flooded through me like a dam breaking. This was it. This was that taste. My body remembered, even though my brain had blurred the details. The special vor of the BBQ sauce, the pepper seasoning on the bread... these were all Mom''s. Tears gathered in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Once or twice, I saw Ryder nce at me.


    "We did it. It went much smoother than I expected. Obviously, we lost a few trees, but no damage to the walls. I might get some soil


    to fill the holes," Ryder answered.


    "I have some soil I can give you. Penelope started building a new pool, and we need to extend the old one," Dad said.


    "Ama wants to build a new pool too," I said, smiling at Penelope. I took a deep breath silently, adjusting my mood to continue the normal conversation. My heart was particrly fragile today, and if broke down now, I didn''t dare think about how I would manage


    "I know! She told mest night. She''s glowing!" Penelopeughed in response.


    "She looks sickly, not glowing," Martha snorted. Dad gave her a look that made her roll her eyes and look away. Not sure what he said to her, but it seemed to work.


    "What should we do next?" Dad asked, as if wanting to ignore Martha''s presence. “Xena has a brilliant idea,” Ryder said, taking another bite of pasta and turning his gaze to me.


    I was about to bring a forkful of sd to my mouth when I suddenly stopped. Looking around, everyone was watching me, waiting for an answer, Putting down my fork, I suddenly felt ufortable being put on the spot like this.


    "Oh, um... didn''t Penelope tell you?" I asked.


    "She did, but I want to hear it from you," Dad gave me a smile, one that I used to hate. It was the look of someone testing me, but


    at this moment I found it somewhat touching.


    I tried to keep my voice normal as I began to exin: "If we hack into the phonepany, we can find his files based on his service location and download his call records. Then we can match locations with assigned numbers to find out where he''s been calling.


    From there, we can dig deeper. The rest goes without saying."


    "How did youe up with this idea?" Penelope asked.


    Actually, it was just a sarcastment 1 made, and Ryder turned


    into an actual Idea. Then it just snowballed from there."


    "It''s really quite good," Logan said with his mouth full of burger.


    Thank you. I hope it works. Has Galen found anything?" I asked,


    "He''s still working on it, but making progress. Because of the firewalls, he''s moving slowly, not wanting to leave traces, so it takes some time," Penelope nodded.


    "Where is he operating from?" Ryder asked.


    "Remember that abandoned coffee shop a few miles front downtown Logan asked.


    "Oh." I nodded, the image of that shop shing through my mind. Broken windows, peeling paint, little mice that had made it their home. Perfect ce – no one would think to look for someone in that kind of hellhole.


    I looked toward Martha, who had barely touched any food, just pushing it around


    on her te. Her expression was rtively rxed, as if she was anticipating something.


    I finished eating, and so had everyone else. "It''s such a beautiful morning," Dad said, looking up at the sun climbing in the sky.


    "It certainly is," Penelope agreed. We all knew what wasing next. Our heads


    dropped slightly because we didn''t want it to happen.


    My heart began to race, and I felt a lump in my throat.


    "I thought you were going to give me a gift," Martha red at Dad.


    "You''re right. I did say that," Dad nodded.


    "Well, the children are all here. Even though they don''t appreciate everything I''ve


    done for them, you wanted them here. So where''s the gift?" Marthained in


    an aggrieved tone, crossing her arms over her chest.


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