Hugo answered, and Joseph pulled his attention from Eva retching into the garbage. “Your officers have been murdered. There must be a mole on the inside. For Eva’s safety, I’m taking her somewhere even you don’t know. I’ll contact you as soon as it’s safe. Expect my call.”
He hung up the cell without waiting for an answer and stepped to Eva’s side to rub her back.
Wet and clammy looking, she raised her head and stumbled back. This time, she averted her eyes from the corpses. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. No one likes to see stuff like this.” He motioned to the side with his head and then chucked his phone into the trash.
“Your phone!”
“GPS. Give me your phone.”
She pulled it out of her purse, and he threw it with his.
“Hey, I need that. It’s got everything in it. Calendar, numbers, schedules.”
“Which will do you little good if you’re dead. Let’s go.” Grabbing her hand, he led her down the stairs. He held his clothes in the crook of his arm and rested his hand on his gun. No chance in hell would he allow himself to be taken off guard again. Thirteen shots remained in his pistol plus the extra magazine he kept on him at all times. “I’ll buy you a new phone when this is done.”
“No, you’re right. I’m being silly.” She followed him without speaking.
He left her in the shadows to do a quick surveillance of the streets. A drunken man stumbled down the sidewalk, singing at the top of his lungs. Joseph tightened his grip on his pistol, bracing for shots to be fired, but the man belched and then continued on his way. Joseph led her to the parking lot. Salsa music drifted out a nearby window, and three children ran by, giggling and holding hands.
Joseph’s gaze darted nonstop, looking for any threats lurking in the darkness. When they arrived at his nondescript Ford Focus, he unlocked the door. “Get in.”
“When did you bring your car here?” Eva asked as she slid inside.
He shut her door, stalked to the driver’s side, and climbed in. “I left it here earlier then came looking for you.”
“Awfully cocky of you to take a chance at guessing I’d let you come home with me.”
“No chance or guessing about it.”
She scoffed. “Where are we going?”
“Fiesta Inn.” Joseph pulled away from the curb but didn’t remove his fingers from the butt of his pistol. As he wove and bobbed through traffic, he kept checking the mirror for a tail. “Grab the hat in the backseat and put it on. I don’t want anyone being able to describe you.”
She reached back, retrieving the baseball cap. Scrunching her nose, she shoved it on her head. After the thirty-minute drive—which should have taken fifteen—they entered the hotel.
Three women sat behind the wood and cream granite receptionist area, and Joseph approached them with a smile. He checked to ensure Eva kept the baseball cap low over her eyes and remained close by but not in clear sight, either.
“Hola. Querríamos un cuarto superior, a fines de un pasillo en el segundo piso, por favor.”
The receptionist smiled and began the booking. Joseph peeked over his shoulder again, jaw stiff and hand hovering next to his lower back where his pistol remained holstered and hidden. When a man walked in, he cursed and stepped closer to Eva. The hotel patron didn’t even glance their way but instead walked straight to the elevator and out of sight.
Once he had paid for the suite, Joseph led Eva up a flight of stairs to the second floor and to the room at the end of the hallway. Next to them stood the custodial closet, so if he heard anyone sneaking around outside, he’d know they came either to clean or to cause trouble. Much less traffic than, say, the first room on the hallway.
Joseph opened the door, did a quick once-over of the layout, and shooed Eva inside. Twisting the deadbolt behind him, he pressed his ear against the cool metal to listen for any suspicious activity before following Eva. The carpet was a navy blue color, the walls one of those shades of white—ecru maybe?—and a king-size bed rested in the middle of the room, along with a desk. No couch, no roll-up cots. Just like he wanted.
By nightfall, he would be between those sheets with Eva.
***
“There’s only one bed.” Eva turned to Joseph, eyebrow raised. “We need another one.”
“You might feel the need for two. I don’t.” He looked out the window, closed the blinds tight, and hopped onto the mattress. “Mmm…soft. Come try it out.” He patted a spot two inches away from him.
Is this how Eve felt when Satan offered her an apple? Just one bite, my dear. She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ll stand.” Her stomach rumbled, and she flushed.
“Hungry? Here’s dinner.” He gestured toward the tray on the nightstand holding someone’s room service they’d grabbed off the cart they’d passed earlier—dropping a few dollars in its place. “Taco or burrito?”
She chose the taco and sat down at the desk across from him, unwrapping the paper from her taco. He remained quiet for a while, but she kept stealing glances at him while she ate. He looked even more handsome than she remembered. It seemed unfair for a man to appear so hot even while stuffing his mouth. His biceps tightened every time he raised his arms. As he took his last bite, she sighed at the muscles bulging in front of her.
“Enjoying yourself?” He grinned and stretched.
“Hmm? Oh, yes, it’s very good.” Her cheeks heated, and she jumped up, tossing her half-eaten taco in the trash. She regretted her impulsive act before the food hit the plastic bag. It had to be one of the best tacos she’d had in months.
“I meant your entertainment. Not your dinner. I couldn’t help but notice you staring at me. Like what you see, pumpkin?” He flexed his arms.
She glared.
He burst out laughing.
“I told you not to call me that. I don’t like it.”
“You didn’t mind it before.”
“Before you cheated on me, you mean?”
His eyes narrowed, and she bit her lip. Why did she bring up the topic she’d hoped to avoid? She tensed and waited for the explanations and excuses to begin anew. Instead, he surprised her by shrugging and facing away. She breathed a sigh of relief but groaned when she saw the bottle of wine he’d grabbed from behind him.
“No, thanks. I need all my brains around you.”
“Suit yourself.” He strode across the room and set the bottle on the bureau to retrieve two plastic cups. “But I know you well enough to know you’d love some. It will help you relax.”