“I.D. in her wallet says her name’s Jenna Shaw. She’s a nurse at a military hospital in San Diego.”
“How did you manage to get your hands on her identification?”
“Grabbed her purse in the hospital parking garage a few minutes ago.”
“Youmuggedher?” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Christ, Sebastian. Someone could’ve seen you. She couldidentifyyou.”
“Relax.” His top lieutenant blew out a breath. “It was still dark, and I wore a hood. Garcia pulled up beside her. I jumped out and grabbed the purse, and we took off. No one saw us, and other than a few parked cars, the place was empty.”
Ignoring the man’s overabundance of confidence, Matias asked, “You’re certain this the same woman Walker’s been watching the last few weeks?”
“It’s her,” Sebastian confirmed. “At first we thought she might be his latest mark, but I’m thinking the rumors we’ve heard are true. That he really did quit.”
Retiredwas the term most hired guns used when they got out of the business, but he understood the point his man was trying to make. Word had it, the infamous Adrian Walker had decided to hang up his guns and walk away. Apparently, Sebastian believed what he’d heard.
You won’t get away, my friend. Not this time.
“What makes you certain she isn’t his target?”
“Because we’re sitting across the street from her apartment. Bitch invited him inside.”
Idiot.Sebastian’s large build and brute force mentality made him the perfect bodyguard and enforcer. But the man didn’t always see the finer details that made up the bigger picture.
“Walker didn’t build his reputation by being sloppy. He could’ve used a guise to make her feel comfortable around him. Earned her trust before he did the hit.”
It was the oldest trick in the book. The closer a person got to someone, the easier it was to take them out. A lesson Matias’ father had taught him early on.
“He was there for four hours, Boss. Trust me. Walker didn’t come here to kill her.”
“Again, how can you be so sure?”
“For one, I can see her moving around through the window. Two, the look on the bastard’s face when he left…” Sebastian chuckled. “Trust me. Those two did more than just talk.”
“Sex doesn’t necessarily mean—”
“She’s the one, Matias,” his man spoke with utter certainty. “We’ve been watching him for over a month now. There have been no other women. No other booty calls. The Shaw woman is the one you need.”
Matias let the information sink in. Then he smiled. “Excellent.”
“What’s next? Should we grab the girl now, or…?”
He considered it for a moment but decided against it. “Not yet. There are still things I need to do to prepare.”
This plan had been put into motion a long time ago, and Matias refused to rush it.
“When will you be ready?” Sebastian’s impatience began to show.
“Soon, amigo.” Matias promised his trusted lieutenant. “Very soon.”
“You want me and Garcia to hang around until you give the green light?”
He nodded. “Si. Keep the woman in your sights, but don’t let her know you’re there.”
“Understood, Boss.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
Ending the call, Matias walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window in his home’s private office. Looking out over his expansive property, he reminisced of simpler times. Times when he was just a child with no thoughts of drugs or money…or killing.