With my arms crossed over my chest, I sneered back. "And why's that?"
"Because someone is trying very hard to discover a lot about you."
I merely shrugged at Owen's words. "So let them. It's just a secret."
I could see that my words pissed these guys off. Their scowls were proof of that. "I don't think you understand who you're dealing with here."
"So enlighten me." I was exasperated at this point. I was so sick of men and how they were treating me today that I wanted to crawl back into my bed and start the day over. Since that wasn't an option, I held my head up high and pretended nothing bothered me.
"Los Cangris." Two words was all Hendrix gave me, but it was enough to make my body shiver.
"What about them? Last time I checked, their leader died in prison, and the new regime is weak in comparison."
"That might be so, but an unknown individual is in the background pulling strings, and until we know who and what they're capable of, you're under our protection."
No way. "Thanks, but no thanks. I can take care of myself." I turned around to leave but thought better of it. "Make sure to leave me a nice big tip since you've sat at my table for so long," I told them over my shoulder before walking away.
CHAPTER FIVE
Maverick
Four fucking days.
That's how long my team had been watching Jo, and for all four of those days, she had been giving them nothing but attitude. I swear the woman was going to be the death of me.
I couldn't take it any longer. No matter how much I wanted to avoid her, she wasn't going to make it easy.
I cursed under my breath as I opened the door of the Crazy Fox Diner and stepped inside.
"Nope." Jo caught my attention immediately and stormed over. "You turn your ass back around and leave the way you came in."
Several tables around looked over to see what all the commotion was about.
"Unless you want me to make a scene in front of all these people, I suggest you step outside with me," I told her in a low voice.
Jo must've known I meant it because instead of arguing with me, she hissed back, "Meet me behind the kitchen in two minutes."
I walked right back out of the diner with a smile on my face and made my way around the back of the building.
A small part of me expected Jo to stand me up, but she proved how smart she was when exactly two minutes on the dot she walked out of the kitchen door.
"What do you want?" She crossed her arms over her chest and pushed her boobs up so they were front and center. I had to tear my eyes away from them so I could focus on her face.
"Why are you giving my guys a hard time?"
"Seriously?" She dropped her arms and placed her hands on her hips. "After nearly eight months of knowing me, you're going to ask that?"
"They are just there to protect you."
"Well, newsflash. I don't want their protection or yours for that matter. We had our fun, but now it's over. I never should've let it go on as long as I did."
I was losing the little patience I had left. "Are you kidding me right now? This isn't about us. This is about your safety when there's an unknown person out to get you."
Jo had the nerve to roll her eyes, and I wanted nothing more than to punish her for her defiance. If it were a month ago, I absolutely would've done exactly that.
"So you guys like to remind me but let me remindyouof something. I can handle myself. I don't need or want your protection. I want to go on with my life like nothing ever happened."
Ouch. I didn't particularly want the memory of her either, but I wasn't about to be as nonchalant as she was.
