Page 30 of Tempt Me
He was good.
“And what would those be?”
I held my breath.Please don’t talk about your fake abuela and her lumbago.
“I’m looking for some information.”
“What kind of information?”
“All I need is a name. Who’s Jamilow partnering with on the new app? I can pay you well for that knowledge.”
I held my breath.
“How well?” She narrowed her eyes.
Ooh! We had her!
“Very well. Insulin money.”
“Insulin?” She scrunched her nose.
“Or beach money. You’d be able to buy your own villa.”
“Beach villa money, huh? For a name?”
I held my breath.
“Exactly. Tell me a sum. One that would make you comfortable in your retirement.”
Another scowl. “Good thing I’m not retiring, then. I like my boss too much. Hey. Bruno.” She turned her head toward the security guard who was as beefy as Mateo and definitely meaner, if his expression was any indication.
“This guy bothering you?”
“Nah. But I would like to know how he got in here. He’s not a Jamilow employee.”
Crap, crap, crap. Should I blow my cover to save Mateo? From the panicked expression on his face, probably. But he was a big guy. He could handle whatever Bruno threw at him.
I hoped.
Bruno stepped between Mateo and Rhiannon. “Where’s your badge, man?”
Mateo fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the visitor badge I’d gotten from the previous guard. Nuts, I’d signed for him! The security log would betray me. How would I get Mateo and myself out of this mess?
“Hey, amigo, we’re good.” Mateo held out his hands in a stop gesture. “Keep the badge. I’m leaving.” He took two steps toward the exit, then he turned. “No name?”
Aw. This was why Mimi had fallen for him. He was persistent and charming.
Rhiannon’s lips thinned. “No name. Get your sorry ass out of this building.”
I didn’t have to see any more. I stopped the recording and hit the button to blank my phone’s screen.
Rhiannon and Bruno muttered for a few minutes before I heard the squeak of her sneaker. I peeked around the corner as she pushed through the glass door of the exit. I waited five more minutes for her to get into her car and leave before I fluffed my hair to conceal my face and strode toward the exit, head down.
“Have a good night,” Bruno called, sounding friendly and not at all menacing.
“Night,” I mumbled.
Outside, I slunk to Mateo’s Jeep and slid into the passenger seat. “Well, that was a colossal failure.”
