CHAPTER THREE
I could barely sleep that night. It wasn’t because I’d have to work with Mia Bryant. Not at all. But so many things were uncertain.
I was a creature of habits. Even at the restaurant, surrounded by Alacráns , I had a routine. I always pondered my next steps, I didn’t act on impulse. I chose and folded my clothes a day early, for God’s sake. I followed the rules. The only two times I didn’t, things blew up in my face. Unsurprisingly, both times I acted spontaneously because of her.
The first one was when we first interacted. The first time she punched me. Right after our meet cute , she ran. I was going after her when I heard some of the members planning to attack Danny, his family, and his friends.
I decided on the spot to let her go and alert Danny of the danger he was in. I should’ve gone after her. Actually, I shouldn’t have let her catch me watching her in the first place. But what I could never, ever do was leave Danny in the dark. So, I chose to jeopardize my assignment to let him know what was going on.
I never regretted my decision; I’d do it again if I had to. But I never got over the colossal dressing down I faced for doing the right thing. It was almost as if some of my superiors weren’t that concerned about civilian life.
The second time I acted on impulse was to follow her to the meeting with Keyes. Then sort of arresting her later. The last couple of days still felt like a crazy dream. But it was just a live nightmare.
I walked into the house we used as a base again and wasn’t thrilled to see her already inside—which meant Aaron had given her the key. She had her back to me as she finished pouring something in two cups. She turned around, and I cursed myself for my reaction to her. Unlike the other times we met, she wasn’t dressed for the night. She had on a pair of jeans, sneakers, a shirt that said “ In my defense, I was left unsupervised ”—I couldn’t have thought of a better inscription for her—and a pair of glasses. If anything, she was even prettier than before. And that pissed me off even more.
She leaned on the counter to sip on whatever she was drinking. “Morning, Phoenix. I see you arose.”
“You’re early.”
“We have a lot to accomplish. I wanted to take a look at a couple of things Aaron forwarded me before we left for the restaurant. Besides, he said we’d have company today.” She stepped away from the counter. “I made us some cappuccino. Decaf, sorry. I’ll go back to studying the case again. Chirp if you need anything.”
She passed me by, and I considered holding my breath so as not to smell her. I failed miserably.
I walked to the counter to grab the cup she poured for me, unsure of how to dissect her behavior. I picked up the cup and noticed a little note beside it.
Here’s to the beginning of our hellish interaction.
If you feel the urge to arrest me again, I advise you to think better—although I kind of liked the handcuffs.
Let’s hope you don’t screw it up this time.
Miserably,
Your Enemy.
That my pants tightened only proved there was something wrong with me.
My investigation pointed at her, and my CI was adamant that I needed to reach her out. Even though he didn’t say she was a criminal per se, he assured me she was the key to what I needed. From what I observed in the previous months, she was able to weasel her way around the cartel without being discovered. She was also observant enough to have spotted me and called me on my case.
Which meant two things: she was smarter than whom she was dealing with—probably myself included—and that made her more dangerous.
I slipped the note into my pocket and took a sip of the beverage when I heard a noise from the front door. Assuming it was the company Mia told me about, I walked to the door to welcome whoever they were.
I didn’t know who I was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t Edna McAdam.
The small woman marched inside. She was even shorter than Mia, and that was saying a lot. The woman only worked in a fast and energetic mode. With her short hair and big pair of glasses, it was impossible not to compare her to Edna from The Incredibles. That her name was also Edna was just an added irony. No one dared say a word to her unless she wanted us to. She was sharp, brilliant, intimidating, and didn’t believe in wasting time.
“Bryan Keyes is off the grid. You will go back to the restaurant and give your two weeks' notice. You need to follow through. You’ll be compliant, helpful, and quiet for fourteen days. Can you do that boy?” She looked up at me for the first time. “Good Lord, you look beat. Now sit down. I don’t want to look up like I’m talking to a tower.”
I plopped my ass on the nearest chair.
“I’ve heard you have more hands on deck. Use them. Sit straight.” I straightened my spine as she went on. “Where is the Bryant girl? We need her for this.” Before I could answer, she shouted, “Bryant, bring your tight butt here.”
Mia walked into the kitchen and her steps faltered when she noticed our visitor.
Ms. McAdam frowned. “You look even worse than the boy. There’s no time to waste. I told the tall guy here that Keyes is off the grid. It’s now up to you two to track him down and bring him back if we want a chance at getting the girls he has.” She walked as fast as her little legs allowed and dropped several files on the table. “I brought a few things I gathered, but most of it is gibberish to me. I’m sure you geeks will figure out what they mean. Watch your posture, Bryant.”
Mia straightened up, and I was surprised to see there was someone able to intimidate her.
“You’ll stay in town until Cross finishes his time at the restaurant. Then you both get out of here. We’ll come back to the house or regroup somewhere else when needed, but I don’t want you two here. Now go on and take the cartel down, because they pissed me off enough. I can see the wrinkles forming around my eyes and I’m not happy. Anything else you want to add?”
Mia raised her hand tentatively as if we were in class. And I admired her courage because I wasn’t brave enough to. “Ms. McAdam—”
“Edna.”
“Edna,” Mia amended. “I assume you were the one to inform my people I was arrested?”
Edna stared at me pointedly, making me squirm. “I did. I talked to your sweet friend Haley as soon as I heard.”
“How did you know?”
She tipped her head down and looked at Mia over her glasses. “I know everything, Ms. Bryant.”
Mia smiled at her and looked even younger. “Thank you.”
Edna turned on her heels and stopped right at the door. “Mia? I realize this is the first time we met in person since...what happened. I’m truly sorry.” Mia bit her lip and tipped her chin as the point of her nose turned red, leaving me at odds. “Cross, accompany me to the door.”
Right before I opened the door to her, she turned to me with sharp eyes. “You both have a dangerous and curvy path ahead of you. This won’t be easy, but it’ll be less difficult if you work together.” She shook her head, and it was the first time I saw her display any kind of vulnerability. “Sometimes it’s hard to know who to trust, especially when you’re an honorable man like yourself. All I say is that Mia Bryant is the biggest mistake this agency has ever made, one I regret deeply and still don’t understand. So, watch your back. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”
After confirming my suspicion, she left. I couldn’t wrap my head around the many inconsistencies regarding the spitfire turning my life upside down.
My closest friends urged me to trust her. One of my sharpest superiors went from being sympathetic to her to warning me about her. My dick was certainly not to be trusted, so I did my best to ignore the beast.
When it came to Mia Bryant, I had no idea what to think or what to do. And I cursed myself for wanting to kiss the answers out of her.