Page 20 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“What kind of meat?”

“Meat?” she asked Rick.

“Carne asada.”

She repeated his order, and Elonzo hummed. “So, your friend is over? Is this why you don’t want Benny delivering? Because my nephew is sweet on you, and you don’t want him to see you with another man?”

“Elonzo!”

The older man chuckled. “I’m only teasing, guapa. Competition is good for romance. Makes men work harder.”

“Elonzo,” Kaylee groaned, laughter making her voice shake. “I’m never ordering food from you again.”

“Ah, you say that every time I tease you, and yet you always call.”

“I mean it this time. And stop gossiping.”

“But the chisme is so juicy.”

Kaylee chuckled, hanging up the phone.

Rick cocked his head. “They don’t ask for a credit card?”

“No, they can take cash, card, or Venmo when they arrive. A lot of the older people don’t like giving out credit card numbers over the phone.”

“Ah. What do I owe you?”

“If you want to get in your car and go back to California, the tacos are on me.”

“Nice try.” He pulled out his wallet and tossed out two twenties. “This should cover it.”

It would, but the money wasn’t the point.

Suddenly, a question that had been ruminating at the back of her mind popped out of her mouth. “How did you find me?”

Rick leaned back in his chair, his expression grim. “I spotted you while conducting a daily facial recognition search, and you appeared in the background of a reality TV show. I contacted the producers, and they informed me about the town in which they had recorded. After that, it was a matter of tracking you down.”

Small Town USA. How? She’d been so careful, but apparently, not well enough. While Kaylee doubted a bunch of hardened criminals watched the cheesy reality show, there was no guarantee they didn’t have someone in the FBI informing on what they had on the club.

Fine, so that might be a bit paranoid, but she couldn’t take the risk. It was time to move on.

A twinge squeezed her heart at the thought of leaving Josie, Dana, and all the other people who had been so kind to her, but this was about survival.

Kaylee’s body shivered when ice rippled through her veins. “Do the Pit Vipers know I’m here?”

“I don’t think so. We’ve had a bug in Ansel’s office, and a team is watching their every move. They’ve been careful since Wyatt and—” He hesitated. “Elasia.”

Her eyes burned, her friend’s beautiful, vibrant smile flashing through her mind. Elasia hadn’t deserved what happened to her. She’d been in love for the first time after so many short-term idiots, and she thought Wyatt was someone she could grow close to. That once he got out from under Ansel’s thumb, they’d have a white picket fence and a happily ever after.

Instead, her life had been cut short way too soon.

“Good to know they are taking precautions,” Kaylee sniped. “We would hate for them to drop the ball and innocent people get killed.”

Rick’s only reaction to her sarcasm was a pitying expression that melted his brown eyes into pools of chocolate, and she jerked her gaze away, refusing to accept his compassion. There was plenty of blame to go around for Elasia’s death, and she was tired of carrying the full weight of it. The feds knew Wyatt was involved with her, that he was in too deep, and they did nothing.

Screw them and Rick, too.

“Look, I know you have a thing against law enforcement, and I don’t blame you, but you have to trust someone.”