Page 37 of Olivia

Whatever happened next, Anna knew she would fight.

Another moment passed before she heard a car door open.

She kept walking, but looked over her shoulder now—a normal, expected response to a car stopping behind a woman walking alone at night.

A tall male emerged from the car and walked toward the mailbox, lifting the lid and peering inside.

Anna exhaled the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

He was just checking his mail before turning into his driveway.

Anna cursed under her breath.

She hadn’t been thinking straight since Jackson turned up—she needed to stay calm and focused, and right now, she was neither of those things.

For the rest of the walk back to the grocery store, she focused on clearing her mind. She’d never been one to sit and meditate, but movement was a form of meditation for her. That’s why she walked a lot—it helped to calm her mind. She liked running too, but she didn’t run back to the grocery store despite the temptation. She walked like a normal civilian whose biggest worry for the day was their pesky co-worker who was stealing their lunch.

Anna had some pesky co-workers too. Some real pesky ones.

She’d left the side door unlocked when she exited the grocery story, and she used it again now to slip back in. She moved quickly, grabbing the backpack she’d hidden behind two boxes. She borrowed the staff washrooms to change into her first outfit, then walked out the front door and back to her car, parked in the shopping mall parking lot.

If Diaz had men following her, she’d easily be able to justify why she’d been at the mall for so long.

She drove home, continuously checking her mirrors but didn’t see a tail.

She pulled into her garage, and as soon as she reached the door leading into the house, she heard Miss Casino purring, waiting for her. That was her sign that everything was okay, because if Diaz and his men were in her house, Miss Casino would be far away. Miss Casino loved to walk on the fence and spy on the neighbors. That cat was more like Anna than she cared to admit.

Or maybe Anna was more like her.

Anna opened the door, crouched down, and tickled Miss Casino’s neck. She purred gently: a soft, croaking noise that instantly calmed Anna’s mind.

“Come on,” she said as she walked to the kitchen and poured some Cheerios in a bowl. She’d been eating the same breakfast her entire life and had no intention of changing.

She turned on the television, sank into the couch, pulled a blanket over her knees, and turned to her favorite sitcom.

She ate her dinner and patted Miss Casino.

Everything was fine until her phone rang.

JACKSON

“Incoming car: Lamborghini Aventador, breaking every speed limit. The car belongs to Anna White,”Will said through Jackson’s earpiece.

Hello, Anna, Jackson thought.

He’d had an interesting evening, and it was getting even more interesting.

Anna took a sharp turn onto the street, and the gates to Diaz’s house were opening before she even pulled into the driveway.

What’s happening, Anna?

Her face was obscured by the dark tint of her windows—a tint Jackson was sure was illegal, which wasn’t uncommon these days—but the team had identified this car as hers after his trip to Sloan’s. The car was also registered in her name, which wasn’t really a surprise. At first he’d wondered why she’d have such a flashy car if she had a trunk of secrets she was trying to keep buried, but then he assumed that was exactly her plan. She made it look like she had nothing to hide. It was a very nice car, and Jackson was a tiny bit envious as it rumbled, idling until the gates were fully opened. After she drove in, they closed behind her.

It could be possible she drove at that speed all the time. In a car like that, it probably didn’t even feel fast.

But Anna was the fourth car to arrive within the space of twenty minutes, which indicated Diaz was either having a party or a meeting of some kind. Jackson assumed the latter.

Two cars had arrived before Anna, and another three cars shortly after. It was hard to confirm who was in each car due to the windows having illegal tints, but they thought only one person was in each car. That made six, plus Diaz and whoever was already in his house.

---