they want to make sure you’re all right.”
“Did you tell them about the unidentified types?”
“I did, but after the police arrived, those guys were gone.”
“How did the police find out I might be in trouble?”
“Beats me. The only person giving out less information than the cops was me.”
Annja smiled at that.
“You called for a reason, little lady?”
“I’m worried about my home.” The loft was the first true home Annja had ever had.
Growing up in the orphanage always meant sharing space, bathrooms, everything. College and her early years in the field had been more of the same. She’d dreamed of having a place of her own ever since she was little. A place with plenty of space.
When she’d locked the deal with Chasing History’s Monsters, she’d signed a lease agreement with the option to buy with Wally. She hadn’t regretted a minute of it.
“Your home’s gonna be fine, little lady,” Wally replied. “Don’t you fret none about that. I’ll see to it.”
“Thanks,” Annja said. She hung up the phone, then walked over to the counter to get a cup of coffee to go.
Her cell phone rang.
Excited, Annja took the phone from her pocket and checked the Caller ID, hoping it was Nikolai or Bart or Mario. The number was blocked.
Annja answered anyway.
“Hello,” an excited male voice said. “Is this Annja Creed?”
“Yes.” Annja paid for the coffee and left the bistro, heading for Tito’s.
“Cool! I never thought I’d ever get to speak to you! I’ve been calling and calling!”
“Is there something I can do for you?” Annja asked.
“Oh, no,” the man said. “But there is something I can do for you.”
When the man proceeded to tell her what it was, Annja closed the phone and put it away. Creep! She suddenly felt unclean. More than anything, she wanted a bath in her own apartment.
The phone rang again. It was another blocked number.
Annja cringed. The possibility existed that the call was from someone she was waiting for. She opened the phone.
“We got cut off,” the man said. “I didn’t get to finish telling you—”
Annja closed the phone and kept walking.
T HE LUNCH RUSH WAS over at Tito’s, but there were several regulars who deliberately waited until those people had left so they could have a more leisurely lunch. The fare was Cuban, served fresh and hot, with all the love Maria Ruiz could put on the platter.
She stood at the counter that served as her throne, ruling over her kingdom with a benevolent eye. Everyone who came through the door was taken care of, and those who tried to take advantage of the staff or act in a rude manner were tossed.
Maria was plump and gray haired, dressed in black slacks and a lime-green top under an apron. In her sixties, Maria had transplanted from Cuba as a young woman, then raised a family in Brooklyn. Her oldest son ran the kitchen.
The booths and tables were a festive green and yellow. Strings of glowing red jalapeño-shaped lights framed the windows. Servers wore black slacks, white shirts and smiles. Most of them greeted Annja by name.
As soon as the scent of spices, fajita meat and beer filled her nose, the ball of tension in Annja’s stomach relaxed somewhat. Inside the walls of Tito’s, she was home.
Maria spotted her. “Señorita Annja!” She held her arms open wide and came toward her.
Annja met the woman halfway, accepting the offered hug and giving one in return. There was nothing like one of Maria’s hugs. It was almost as substantial as one of the meals that Tito’s served.
“Hello, Maria,” Annja said, grinning. After all the confusion and worry of the morning, it was nice to be welcomed.
Stepping back quickly and looking concerned, Maria placed her hands on Annja’s jawline. “You’re freezing.”
“It’s cold outside,” Annja agreed.
“We’ve got to get you warm again. Have you eaten?”
“Not since Miami this morning.”
“Foolishness. You must eat to keep your strength up. I have told you this many times.”
“I know.”
“You should listen.”
“I know.”
Only a few minutes later in a private booth, Annja nursed a large hot chocolate and a huge platter of food Maria had assembled.
Annja watched the television mounted on the wall. The story about the shooting in Brooklyn had lost out to an apartment fire that had gutted a building. The scenes on the television were grim, and Annja’s heart went out to the people who’d lost their homes.
She didn’t know what she’d do if something like that occurred to her loft. It worried her even more that the men who’d tried to kill her wouldn’t hesitate about setting fire to her home. The unpleasant thoughts took some of the enjoyment from the meal.
She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to know what she had to do to get her life back in order. She wished Bart would call.
Maria bustled about her, keeping Annja company only briefly because she was keeping watch over the restaurant and training two new servers. The restaurant opened six days a week, closed on Sundays because that was God’s day, and Maria worked every one of them.
The other television was set to ESPN, covering the baseball spring-training camps. Maria wasn’t a baseball fan, but she knew Annja was.
“So how come you’re eating alone?” Maria asked. “You should have a nice man for lunch.”
At that announcement, Annja nearly choked and had to get a sip of hot chocolate, which had just been refilled and was too hot for drinking. She burned her tongue.
Maria looked at her with concern. She was always trying to play matchmaker for Annja.
“All the nice men I know are busy,” Annja replied. There weren’t many of them. She took another bite of beef enchilada covered in sour cream sauce. The portion melted in her mouth.
“Hmph,” Maria said. “You waited too long. A woman who wants a man, she has to move quickly to take what she wants.”
Annja just smiled. Her line of work didn’t lend itself to long-lasting relationships. There was too much separation while she was out
