“I don’t think you’re crazy. You’ve been through a lot these past few days.” He glanced at his watch, tried to gauge whether he was good to drive. Two beers in two hours. No problem. “How about I come get you, and we head to my place? You can tell me what’s going on, and you won’t be home alone. I’ve got a spare room if you decide you want to stay thenight.”
“Okay.”
“Where areyou?”
“I’m at a club called IgneousIntrusion.”
“I know where that is. Stay put. Don’t go anywhere alone, not even to the restroom. I’ll be there in about ten minutes. I’ll text you fromoutside.”
Matt got to his feet, worry on his face. “You’releaving?”
“Sorry, man, but she’s at a nightclub scared out of her mind.” Joaquin grabbed his parka off the back of Matt’s kitchen chair. “She thinks someone’s watchingher.”
“Maybe she reallyisout of her mind. Are you sure you don’t want me to come? Someone needs to have your back. I’m a neutral third party. Besides, then I can check her out for myself, see what kind of vibe Icatch.”
“I don’t need a bodyguard.” That’s why there was a Glock in hispocket.
Joaquin picked up his camera bag—he never left it in his vehicle—and headed toward the door. “I’ll see youtomorrow.”
Matt walked him out. “Okay, fine. But I’m drinking what’s left of yourbeer.”
* * *
Mia sat at a table,bass thrumming, nothing left of her Diet Coke but ice. She shouldn’t have bothered Joaquin. He’d had to deal with enough already because of her. Besides, she’d never been the kind of woman who needed a man to rescue her. Still, she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t felt better when he’d said he was on hisway.
She felt it again—prickles on the nape of her neck. She turned to look, doing her best to make it seem casual. The place was packed, and the lighting dim, making it hard to see individualfaces.
Damnit.
She wasn’t helpless. She had her SIG in her handbag, and it was loaded. No, it wasn’t legal to carry a weapon like this without a permit in Colorado, but she would rather get busted with a concealed weapon than caught by a killer withoutone.
There was a lull between songs, the abrupt absence of music leaving sudden quiet in its wake. The prickling sensation returned, stronger thistime.
On instinct, she lookedup.
A man in a blackhoodie.
His face was hidden by shadows, but the moment she spotted him, he walked away and disappeared, swallowed by the crowd on thebalcony.
Her cell phone buzzed, making herjump.
It wasJoaquin.
I’mhere.
She hadn’t taken off her parka, so she grabbed her handbag and backpack and hurried out the door, glancing back to see if the man in the hoodie wasthere.
Joaquin sat double-parked in his truck, engine still running. He threw the passenger dooropen.
She hurried over and climbed inside, locking the door. “I didn’t imagineit.”
“What?”
“There was a guy on the balcony—a man in a black hoodie. I looked up and saw him watching me. The moment he realized I’d seen him, he vanished into the crowd. I didn’t get a look at his face. It wasshadowed.”
Still, there had been something familiar abouthim.
Joaquin muttered something under his breath in Spanish then nudged his truck into traffic. “Where’s yourvehicle?”