He walked among the college students, straining to sense any Natural or ward before he reached it. A couple of redheads caught his attention, and he watched them duck into a bar. His stomach growled but he chose to continue, needing to locate the talisman.
Reaching the apartment building where the red dot originated, Jonny waited for a group of students to file out of the door and slipped in before they could close it.
He had yet to trip any wards, but he didn't feel the presence of any Naturals, either. Puzzled and wary, he followed the tracker chip to the fifth floor and down a wing overlooking a back street rather than the busy strip in front of the building.
No wards. No Naturals. It was possible the vigilante had gone out for the night and left the phone in his apartment without knowing its value. Charles seemed to think this guy didn't have a clue what he was doing, aside from beating up vamps he crossed.
Jonny sensed no one inside, either. He glanced both ways down the hall before Traveling inside.
The apartment was small and brightly lit. Music played quietly, along with a television, and popcorn popped in the microwave. The cell phone he had tracked was plugged into a laptop with a lit screen on a coffee table in front of the television. He frowned, uncertain why he couldn't sense anyone when everything indicated someone was here.
He crossed to the breakfast bar area, which was littered with mail, chargers for electronics and a digital picture frame.
Shit. He studied one of the pictures taken several years before. In it Ashley and her brother were grinning, their arms wrapped around the blond Jessi, who beamed.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Jonny turned. He had only sensed Brandon's presence a split second before the college student spoke. It dawned on him why. Their cousin Jessi had the ability to move in stealth mode, completely undetectable until she was within about a meter of someone else. Brandon had to have inherited the gift as well.
But if Brandon's gift was stealth mode, that left Ashley as the fighter and Jonny … disbelieving.
"You can't be here!" Brandon was tense, his glare on Jonny.
"You stole something of mine. I want it back, and I'll be on my way." Jonny raised his hands.
Brandon was staring at him. "How did you find me?"
"The phone."
Brandon glanced towards it then swore, crossing to yank it free of the computer.
"I just want it back," Jonny repeated.
"You came here for a phone?"
"Yep."
"No other reason?"