Page 50 of Dangerous Rhythm

“Good morning. Were you comfortable last night?” Raul greeted.

Curtis nodded as he looked around. “What is this place?”

“What does it look like?” Raul retorted.

“This is Raul’s house. He brought us here to lie low for a day or two while we figured out a way to get you out of Spain, maybe even Europe,” Lina explained.

“This is your house?” Curtis’ eyes bugged out. “Man, the Spanish army pays a lot more than ours, huh?”

“No,amigo.” Raul grinned. “My family is what you call…loaded.”

“Why were you in the army then?”

“More action,” Raul answered flippantly.

Lina got out of the ring and walked to Curtis. “How are you feeling?”

Curtis shrugged. “Fine. I was wondering where you were.”

“In the room next to yours,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep much, so I decided to put Raul’s gym to use.”

“Feel free. As the saying goes,Mi casa es su casa.” Raul walked toward the door. “I’m heading to the shower. That was fun, Lina. I haven’t had a sparring partner like you for a long time.”

Lina threw their host a smile as he disappeared into the hall.

“Where was he last night?” Curtis asked.

She’d told him where she’d slept, but he still didn’t know if Raul had shared that room with her.

Lina narrowed her eyes at him and answered flatly, “In his room.”

She then turned her back on him, walked to a corner of the ring, and picked up a sweatshirt.

“I’m gonna get cleaned up,” she said. Her tone didn’t improve. “Go hit a bag or something.”

She started walking away. “Maybe you’ll stop being a dick when I see you next.”

Lina ate alone at the kitchen table. Bread, cheese, ham, and coffee were the offering. Good thing she always had some bags of tea in her go-bag. Sometimes, she didn’t know where she was heading next, and it was always good to be prepared, which included tea.

Raul had left as soon as he finished his meal. He was Lina’s eyes, ears, and feet for now. They’d briefly agreed on what needed to be done, and he’d accomplish some of that for her. She’d keep Marcus and the U.S. office in the dark until they could figure out how the Stilettos were getting information.

That crowdsourcing game was a pretty genius move.

Lina mulled over that information. It meant the Stilettos had some pretty sophisticated cyber capabilities. The question was, how good was the Stilettos’ person or team? She knew Ken and his team would already be all over this. She’d feel much better when they could figure out what they were dealing with.

For the time being, Lina also took the battery out of her cellphone in case the Stilettos might track it. She wasn’t taking any more risks. They were now off the grid, with only Raul as their lifeline. And for Curtis’ sake, she hoped Raul would deliver some good news when he returned.

Footsteps came toward the kitchen. Lina looked up to see Curtis walk in as if he didn’t know where he was going.

“Coffee’s still warm,” Lina announced, getting his attention.

His face brightened when he saw her. He beelined to the table and sat down. “I got fucking lost. This place is enormous.”

Well, he seems to be in a better mood.

Lina noted his hair was wet, and he’d changed clothes. Maybe he’d taken her suggestion and used the gym to release some aggression.

“We’re gonna be here for a couple of days,” she informed him.

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