When Maya heard the doorbell ring, she went downstairs to watch the handoff, and to check that the man she’d hit over the head with her hairdryer really was okay. Flint strode into the room and Maya was again taken aback by the size of him. This time there was a different man with him, but he had also been present at the warehouse the day before. Had that really only happened yesterday? Maya shook her head incredulously.
“Maya,” Flint greeted her, all business.
“Hey, Maya,” the other man greeted her. “I’m Nash or you can call me Ted.” He shrugged. “I’m good either way.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Maya said, her tone still a little numb.
He pointed his thumb toward Cole. “I’m that bozo’s best friend.”
“Oh,” she said, looking at him with fresh eyes. Was he a werewolf, too? Was Flint?
Nash went over to Cole and took the arm of the now conscious man who had tried to kill her. Nash looked across at her and grinned.
“You’re the gift that keeps on giving, aren’t you?”
A girly sounding giggle slipped from her lips. She just couldn’t help herself. There was something so charming and funny about Nash. Cole was all gruff and manly, whereas Nash exuded an almost boyish exuberance. It was hard to imagine him and Cole being best friends because at first glance, they didn’t appear to have anything in common. But she supposed looks could be deceiving. They worked together, so they had that in common at least. There had to be other things. Like whether they both turned into wild animals.
“See you again soon, Maya,” Nash called cheerfully as he escorted the man out the door.
“Bye,” she shouted after him.
Flint gave her a curt nod. “Maya.”
She nodded in return and offered him up a smile. If Nash was all charm and enthusiasm, Flint was his polar opposite. He was dark and brooding, with eyes that saw everything.
“Ten on the dot,” Flint said to Cole before heading for the door.
“I’ll be there,” Cole replied. “Thanks for today.”
Flint’s lips twitched but didn’t lift into a full smile. “I’ll add it to your tab.”
Cole chuckled, then clapped his friend on the shoulder, and then Cole and Maya were finally alone again.
“What’s happening at ten on the dot?” Maya asked.
“That was one of the two things I came home for. I wanted to tell you that I questioned your brother earlier and he gave me the name of the man he works for.”
Maya’s stomach clenched, but she said nothing.
“He’s a criminal that the FBI has had in our sights for some time. He owns a gambling den that masquerades as a nightclub. We’re going to hit the club tonight and arrest him, and, hopefully, shut down his operation for good.”
“What’s his name?”
“Tony Sloan.”
Maya shook her head. “I’ve never heard of him.”
Cole huffed out a laugh. “Well, Tony has obviously heard of you. He’s probably worried that your brother blabbed the details of the kidnap attempt to you and is trying to tie up loose ends. He won’t want anyone who can tie him to something like that. It’s funny, he went after you to silence you, not realizing that you were clueless about his operation. But by targeting you, he gave your brother a compelling reason to rat on him. A self-fulfilling prophecy.”
“Yes, hilarious,” she said dryly, and then, “You’re going after him tonight?”
Cole nodded. “Yeah.”
Maya pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. “Stay safe.”
“Always.”
“What was the second thing?”
