“Diego Suarez. Aria said he’s got a Mexican American friend he hangs around with in Miami. I’ll try to get the friend’s name and text it to you.”
“No problem.”
“Thanks, Ramon. I appreciate it.”
“So, you kicked the husband out, eh?” he said with a chuckle.
“Yeah. You know, he’s some piece of work. I mean, aside from all this cartel business. He’s been taking Aria’s money and he’s a mean sonofabitch—abusive.”
Hawk grimaced. “Shit, no kidding?”
“Yeah. Hopefully we’ve seen the back of him, but I don’t want to take any chances, you know?”
“Of course. Leave it with me, I’ll see what I can dig up.”
“Thanks, man. Let me know if there’s some way I can repay the favor.”
“I need something, you’ll be the first to know.”
The rest of the day dragged. Nash counted down the hours until he could see his mate again, but the more he looked at his watch, the slower time seemed to pass. Eventually, it was time to leave and he practically ran to the elevator that took him down to the parking lot. The drive to the bakery was torture. Every set of lights seemed to be against him, and every driver seemed determined to crawl along in front of him.
Finally, he pulled into a parking spot not too far away from the bakery and headed the rest of the way on foot. As soon as he got near, he spotted his brother standing in the shade of one of the nearby buildings, his eyes trained on the bakery. He was sipping on a coke and munching down what appeared to be one of the honeyed buns that Nash was partial to. He’d left one of his team watching Aria’s mom so he could keep an eye on Aria while Nash was working. He was going to owe him some serious favors for this one.
Jake clocked him before he made it within twenty feet of the bakery’s entrance and ambled over to meet him.
“Hey. How was work?”
“Boring. How was your surveillance?”
“Uneventful. Though, actually, I did see someone hanging around about three hours ago. Tall dude with dark hair, he looked Mexican in appearance so I assume it was Diego.”
“What happened?”
“He clocked me watching the front then left.”
“Shit, it must have been Diego. What the hell did that asshole want?”
“Probably trying to wheedle his way back into your mate’s life.”
“Yeah, probably. You meet my mate?”
Jake grinned. “Yeah. She’s nice.” He held up the honeyed bun. “She’s been bringing me food all day. I keep eating like this and I’m not going to be able to chase down a grandmother, let alone a young man in his prime. Might be worth it, though. These honeyed buns are the shit.”
Nash chuckled. “They’re good, right?”
“Anyway, I’d better get going. Chloe wants me to take her to look for a new car. She could go herself but she hates haggling.”
“What’s she in the market for?”
Jake screwed up his face in disgust. “She’s got her mind set on one of those little two-seater electric cars. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against electric, they’re good for the planet and shit, but the one she showed me online was bubblegum pink and no bigger than a postage stamp.” He shook his head. “If she thinks she’s gonna get me in something like that she can think again.”
Nash threw his head back and laughed. “What, was it the wrong shade of pink for you?”
Jake shuddered visibly and Nash laughed harder.
“Anyway, bro. I’ll let you get off.”
“Anxious to see your new mate, huh?”
