Joaquin grabbed his camera bag. “I’m going to get some lunch and then head to LoDo to shoot an entertainmentfeature.”
“Grungy guys in T-shirts and jeans in front of a brick wall?” Mattjoked.
“God, I hope not.” That described every band photo ever. “See youlater.”
As he left the newsroom, Joaquin noticed Cate watchinghim.
* * *
“I’m takingher out the north gate,” Michael said into his handmic.
The sun had just set, streetlights casting their glow over pavement and asphalt. Mia stayed alert, watching for movement in theshadows.
The whole thing felt surreal—hurrying to her car flanked by an armed security guard, her hand inside her handbag, ready to draw her SIG—but the only people they encountered were other staffmembers.
Mia clicked her fob, unlocking her car door. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Michael opened the door for her. “This asshole attacked his two victims in their homes. Becareful.”
The same thought had occurred to Mia. “I will.Thanks.”
She headed home through rush-hour traffic, thinking through her condo from a security perspective. It had lots of windows, a sliding glass door that led to her deck, and a wide-open floor plan. The tub was plastic, so it wouldn’t offer protection frombullets.
Of course, she had no idea what kind of firearm the attacker was using. A .45-caliber round could penetrate a door or wall. She’d seen AK rounds go throughconcrete.
God, how Mia hated this! She hated feeling afraid to go home. No one had the right to put this kind of fear in anotherperson.
Well then, damn it, she wouldn’t be afraid. Jason and Andy had most likely been taken by surprise. She wouldn’t let that happen. She would beready.
Bigwords.
She drove home, the dark windows of her condo somehow forbidding. She hadn’t turned her front light on, so the porch was dark—a great place for someone tohide.
Weapon drawn, she headed up her front steps, her pulse thrumming. She cleared the porch, unlocked the door, and stepped inside, locking out the night. She let out a relieved breath, saw a shadow on the wall, andjumped.
It was just her ficustree.
Damnit!
It wouldn’t hurt anything if she stayed at Joaquin’s place one more night, would it? The police would have another 24 hours to catch the bad guy, and she could rest a littleeasier.
She hurried to her bedroom and threw together an overnight bag, an idea half-formed in her mind about making dinner for Joaquin to thank him for all he’d done. She drew out her cellphone.
What time will you behome?
Am stuck on I-25 coming back fromAurora.
That gave her some time. She textedback.
See you at your place. I’m makingdinner.
She walked out to her car, senses trained on the darkness, carrying her overnight bag in one hand and her SIG in the other. This time she left her porch light on. She drove to the grocery store, grabbed one of the small carts, and made a mental list of the things she needed to make her Chicken Breasts Diane. Chicken breasts. Lemons. Parsley. Scallions. Butter. Chicken broth. A salad to go with it, maybe somepasta.
She wasn’t doing this just because she was afraid to be home alone. That’s what she told herself, anyway. No, she was doing this because Joaquin had been so kind to her—okay, and because he was incredibly sexy and smart and talented and danced like a sex god and had said that he cared abouther.
Don’t get your hopesup.
He could have meant anything by that. For all Mia knew, his interest in her didn’t go beyond casualfriendship.