Page 63 of Keeping Astrid

Pedro stayed where he was in the aisle, looking at the item in his hand as if he was reading the ingredients.

He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. The opportunity he’d been waiting for had finally arrived. A way that he could get Astrid. He knew if he waited, it would happen.

His cellphone buzzed, but he ignored it. It was probably Javier. He didn’t think they suspected he was not back in Mexico, but he wasn’t going to answer the call. Not until he had achieved what he wanted to achieve.

While he’d been keeping a low profile, he still wanted to know what was happening. So he’d visited the normal places where the chatter was ripe. The same thing he’d heard over and over was that Mr. Rook had found a person of interest, and he was putting all his resources in locating this person. Pedro didn’t know who it was, but they had to have been important if Mr. Rook decided to direct most of his attention to them.

Pedro would get involved when he returned from his little side mission. He was still convinced Mr. Rook wanted Astrid eliminated.

Leaving his cart with the half a dozen items in the middle of the aisle, Pedro exited the grocery store. He’d found the best spot to lay low and still be able to see all of Astrid’s movements. When she left for the train, he would make his move.

The only train she would be getting on would be the train to eternal pain.

Astrid parked her car in the long-term lot of the train station and grabbed her bag out of the back. Excitement bubbled, and it was so hard to contain so that it didn’t burst out. Before she’d walked out of the house, she’d received a call from her producer advising that the network had seen some of the early episodes of the show and decided to extend her contract for another two seasons. They’d also said that her book publisher wanted another cookbook from her. She planned to work on it on the train ride. She had a couple of hours to think about the theme and what recipes she wanted to use. This was just the thing she needed to take her mind off the fact that Callum was still away.

She couldn’t wait to share the news with Penni too, although it wouldn’t surprise Astrid if her publicist already knew. Penni had her ear to the ground and contacts everywhere.

Lost in her thoughts, she bumped into someone. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” Astrid looked up with an apologetic smile on her face.

Her smile dropped when she met the eyes of someone she’d seen once before. Dread pooled deep in her soul, and she took a couple of steps back, needing to put some distance between her and the man in front of her.

Quickly, she glanced around to see if there was someone she could run to for help, but the lot was empty. There was no one around to help her.

“What do you want?” She kept creeping backward. If she could get between a couple of parked cars, she could dump her bag and then run.

As if he was aware of what she was doing, he took two quick steps and before she could do anything, he grabbed her by the arm. “I want you.”

Astrid opened her mouth to scream, but he slammed his other hand over her mouth and pressed a gun into her side.

“Not a good idea. It’s time, Chef Astrid.” He smiled, and Astrid swallowed hard.

Callum and Cass were wrong. The threat against her wasn’t gone at all.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The plane touched down, and Growler sighed in relief. They were finally back in California. He couldn’t wait to get home and shower.

Once the plane taxied to a stop, he was up and grabbing his bag from the overhead locker. Ox had made the decision that, for a safety aspect, they would travel home in pairs. Knowing how eager Growler was to get back to Astrid, Ox had him on the first flight out. Angel and Irish would arrive the next day.

Unfortunately, he still had to wait for the flight attendants to do everything needed before the doors could be opened and they could disembark.

Growler tapped his fingers on the seat in front of him, willing everyone to move quicker.

A chuckle came from the seat across the aisle from him. “I’m surprised you haven’t checked your phone yet,” Ox said as he turned his own on.

“It’s dead. I forgot my fucking charger.”

“Should’ve asked me I had…”

The repetitive dinging coming from Ox’s phone stilled Growler’s impatient finger tapping.

He met his boss’s gaze as Ox put the phone to his ear. “Sitrep,” he barked out.

Anxiety pooled low in Growler’s belly, and he cursed his stupidity again with letting his phone rundown.

How could he have been so thoughtless? What if Astrid needed him?

In front of them, people started moving, but Ox remained where he was, his lips firmed into a thin line.

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