Page 128 of Her Defiant Warrior

Down, boy.

She’s a target.

She’s done transfers for the Kraken.

She had a quarter of a million in gold to buy a house, obviously a payment from the Kraken.

As he followed the brunette in the flowery dress who was driving like a retiree from Boca Raton, Mateo was having a hard time imagining her in cahoots with the Kraken. A dupe, maybe? Maybe she didn’t know what was going on, but not a willing participant with a terrorist organization.

“Then explain the gold coins,” he muttered to himself.

He looked out his car window, waiting for Godzilla to pop out and answer his question. No such luck. When he didn’t get any answers, he went back to concentrating on the red Toyota in front of him.

Seriously? Could she drive any slower? She was three miles below the speed limit as they drove through Annapolis’ Historic District. They were almost to Church Circle when she took a right and started crawling down one street and then the next. Finally, she went down an alley and stopped. Mateo got out of the car and went up to hers, where she had rolled down her window.

“I’m good, Matt. Thanks for watching out for me.”

“What do you mean you’re good?” Mateo looked at where they were, and it was behind a tavern. “You can’t live here.”

She laughed. “Of course I don’t. We just passed where I live. Did you see that big brick building that took up the entire block?”

He nodded.

“That’s where I live. It used to be where a hospital was, now it’s a condominium. It has an underground garage, and you couldn’t get in, so I figured I’d go here and say my thanks now. I don’t suppose you’d let me bake you some scones, would you?”

He felt his eyebrows lift. “Scones?”

“Or maybe something with chocolate? Do you like chocolate?” she quickly asked. “Chocolate chip cookies?”

“I like chocolate,” he admitted. He remembered his mother’s chocotorta that she continued to make even after they came to America and she was working long hours.

“Then it’s a deal. When can we meet again so I can give you some cookies?”

It couldn’t be this easy, could it?

“I’ll let you bake me cookies on one condition.” He looked down into her hopeful blue eyes.

“What’s that?”

“You let me take you to dinner.”

“Uh-uh. I buy you dinner,” she said, shaking her head. Even just with the light of the moon, her hair still shined.

“Nope, you bake cookies. I buy dinner. Trust me, I’m getting the better end of the deal.” And he meant it. “I have to work late tomorrow and Friday. Will Saturday work?”

“That would be perfect.”

Mateo reached to pull his mobile out of his cargo shorts pocket, then cursed the chino pants he was wearing. He’d left his phone in his car.

“My phone is in my car. Let me give you the number, and you call it. That way, you’ll have mine, and I’ll have yours.”

She reached over and grabbed hers out of her purse. He rattled off his number and heard the faint sound of his cell phone ringing in his car.

“What do you like to eat?”

“I’m not particular. I just like food. So anyplace is fine.”

He liked her attitude and her smile.