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He turned into the cereal aisle and almost tripped over his feet. His pulse raced a little faster and he looked over his shoulder, but she seemed to be alone.
He pulled the front of his baseball cap a little lower as he lingered at the end of the aisle, waiting to see if she was actually alone. He grabbed a box of cereal, pretending to read the nutrition label. In his peripheral vision, he saw her begin to walk toward him. She was still alone, as far as he could tell, and no one seemed to be following her. He stood, overly interested in the box of muesli he was holding.
“The blueberry one is better,” she said beside him as she reached for a box of the muesli. “Much better.”
The corner of his lips turned up. He put the box he was holding back and grabbed a blueberry one. He’d never eaten anything blueberry he didn’t like.
“Thanks,” he said, then turned to look at her, giving her a warm smile.
He saw recognition flash in her eyes, but she didn’t react. She didn’t drop her façade, and he second-guessed she was alone.
“You’re wasting your time following me. Leave me alone,” she said and began walking off.
“I’m not following you. I’d say God brought us together this morning,” he said and she scoffed. She stopped walking and turned back to him incredulously.
“God? Sure,” she said with a smirk.
“You can call it a coincidence if that makes you feel more comfortable,” he said with a grin as he took a step toward her. She took a step forward too, when he was expecting her to walk the other way.
“Do you want to die?” she asked.
He looked to her. “Do you?” he responded.
“He’s going to realize very quickly who you are—and if you haven’t noticed, he’s the jealous type. Playing with Diaz isn’t a good idea,” Anna said, her words laced with warning. She walked away and he fell into step beside her.
“Good thing I’m not playing,” he said casually as they turned the corner and walked down the next aisle. She hadn’t run from him yet and he needed to keep her talking.
“Let’s make a deal. Answer one question and I’ll leave you alone,” he said, keeping his voice low.
She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows. “Go ahead.”
“Why did you take that shot in the warehouse?” he asked, phrasing the question in such a way that she didn’t need to admit any crime.
She stared at him, and when he didn’t think she was going to answer, she finally did. “I was ordered to.”
Jackson saw someone else enter the aisle but he didn’t raise his eyes to look. He didn’t want to act suspicious.
“Liar,” he said quietly. “Thanks for the blueberry recommendation.” He walked away, passing the man walking toward them.
He didn’t want to be seen talking to her again today, not after last night. It was too soon, too fast, and would get them both killed.
And he thought, knowing what he did about Anna, that convincing her was going to be key. He needed to plant a few seeds in her head, then get her to trust that he would play this safe and not act like a fool and lead to her demise. Whatever she was doing, she would need someone she could trust. Jackson wanted to be that person.
He stayed alert as he checked out the few items he’d randomly thrown in his basket, paid for his groceries, and left without a second glance back to see if she was watching him.
He got in his car and drove to the office, but his mind was back at the grocery store.
His mind was with Anna.
ANNA
Anna looked over the parking lot as she emerged from the store, but it was empty. She’d walked there this morning, using the time to clear her head. Walking was her thing—not pacing, but walking. She walked everywhere she could, and besides, a Lamborghini was hardly practical for grocery shopping. She could carry as many bags as would fit in her sexy, fast, but totally impractical car.
Anna expected to see the agent loitering out front, but as far as she could see, he was gone. It was either one hell of a coincidence that he’d happened to come to this grocery store this morning, or he’d followed her there. She concluded the latter, and that meant he knew where she lived.
Her pulse raced a little faster and her stomach turned over.
Had she been followed home from Diaz’s? She’d been so careful and had been watching closely for a tail, but hadn’t seen one.
