Page 13 of Sinner's Secret

“Oh, but...I already gave my statement.”

There was a long pause. “My apologies, I just found your file.” Another pause. “You’re going to take precautions from now on going to and from work?”

“Yes, I’ve made arrangements with a cab company.”

“Excellent, we’ll be in touch regarding your case.” He said goodbye and hung up.

Nika stared at her phone. Whoever that man was, he wasn’t the police.

How had he gotten her phone number?

Was she being watched by more than her own surveillance team right now?

She texted her people, told them about the call and her concerns.

After a bit of back and forth with her partner, Daniel Smith, they decided to quietly investigate how her phone number might have gotten out. The team was still in place, maintaining a constant watch on her position, but they hadn’t spotted anyone else watching her.

There wasn’t anything she could do but go back to bed for a couple more hours.

She got up at her usual time in late afternoon for her evening shift, put her hair in a ponytail, and dressed in her diner uniform. Fifteen minutes before her shift was supposed to start, she got a text.

Your yellow chariot awaits.

She texted back: Baz?

Yeah.

She might be paranoid, but... Prove it.

His reply didn’t take long. I’m an asshole.

An amused snort made its way out of her. I’ll be right down.

His yellow cab was waiting for her right outside the backdoor to her building. It was an older model domestic, with a couple of dings on the passenger side door she remembered from last night.

Relief washed through her, then something warmer as she made eye contact with Baz. He seemed to study her with the same caution as she looked at him. Only caution wasn’t the only emotion guiding her gaze. He wore a t-shirt that showed off defined arms and wide shoulders. Her hands itched to touch all that power and strength.

Stop it.

She got in.

He slid a pair of sunglasses on and pulled away without saying anything.

He smelled good. It wasn’t a cologne or deodorant, it was him. A woodsy scent with a hint of coffee and something she couldn’t quite define. She wanted to lean closer and take in more of it. She made herself stay where she was.

Why was he wearing sunglasses? It was overcast and gray.

“Are you hiding a black eye or something?” she asked. Maybe he’d taken a couple of hits to the face he hadn’t mentioned last night.

“No, just a bit too much to drink after work last night.”

“Are you sober?”

“Is it possible to be hungover and drunk at the same time?” he asked.

When her answer was to give him the stink eye, he heaved a sigh. “I am, unfortunately, as sober as a church service before mass.” He glanced at her, but since she couldn’t make out his eyes, she wasn’t sure what was going on in his head.

“I had an interesting phone call early this morning,” she told him in a casual tone, watching to see how he reacted.

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