Kyra followed him around the side of the house. He peered into the living room window. “No one’s there,” he said. They moved to the far end.
“Why do I feel like James Bond?” Kyra whispered, as she flattened her back against the metal siding.
“We can both be James, but you are the only one who could be that and a Bond girl.”
“Right.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re full of it.”
He spotted the glowing light on a computer in the next room. Cupping his hands, he gazed through the window at the person with his back to them. The person had the resort’s website on the screen. “I changed my mind,” Mateo said. “I’ve decided I want to kick his ass.”
“But what about the ‘not getting shot for me’ plan?” she whispered.
“I don’t really plan on getting shot. But, I guess if this might be my last few minutes, I’m going to make the best of it.” Mateo grabbed Kyra and pulled her to him. She let out a tiny gasp of surprise as he lowered his head and kissed her. He wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy. He’d said earlier it wasn’t the right time, but there was no time like the present.
He expected her to push him away, but instead she softened and molded against him. Damn, she felt so good and tasted like sunshine. Mateo quickly broke the kiss.
Her cheeks were flushed a rosy shade and her lips were a deep, tantalizing shade of pink.
“I’m not really sure why I did that, except it’s kind of expected if I’m James and you’re a Bond girl.”
“I didn’t mind.”
He smiled, as he tugged her hand to pull her behind him. They moved toward the front of the house. “Stand over there.” He pointed next to the porch. Mateo waited until she was hidden and then knocked on the door.
The person inside didn’t even ask who it was before Mateo heard the doorknob rattle. Small town. It was a wonder any of the trusting townspeople were still alive. This would never happen in New York City.
When the man opened the door, Mateo took the opportunity to wedge his hip through and then step inside.
“Hey!” the man said in a startled tone.
Then he was on him. Mateo pushed him across the room and up against the wall, where he almost knocked over a pole lamp. “Are you the jerk who’s been hacking the Sunset Beach website?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m the guy you stole money from and messed up my whole vacation!” He grabbed a handful of the front of the guy’s T-shirt and wound it in his hand.
He was going to punch him when he heard Kyra cry, “Mateo! Stop! He’s just a kid.”
As adrenaline coursed through his body, he shook off his anger and tried to focus. Kyra was right. The blond, mop-top scruffy kid didn’t look old enough to drive much less do anything else. “How old are you and what’s your name?” He growled, not loosening his grip.
‘Brendon. I…I’m sixteen. Please. If you’re going to beat me up, take me somewhere else. Don’t break my mom’s stuff.”
Mateo pulled the boy by the shirt and shoved him into a gold and brown plaid recliner. “My friend and I are going to sit here until you explain what you were doing and why you thought it was such a damn brilliant idea to hack the Sunset Beach resort’s website.”
The kid looked as though he was going to cry. “I never thought I’d get caught.”
Mateo let out a dry laugh. “Said by every criminal ever.”
“How’d you trace me?” the kid asked.
“Believe it or not, there are some people who are better at what you do than you are. Lucky for Kyra and the resort, I happen to be one of them. You screwed with the wrong guy.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Now that we have you, I guess we’d better call the cops and have them head over here for the arrest.”
Brendon’s eyes widened to large brown saucers. “No…I mean…oh, shit.” He put his hands over his face.
Mateo paused. “Not that I really care, but why’d you do it? Did you need money for drugs?”
“No!” the boy dropped his hands and shook his head so vehemently his blond hair flew from side to side. “I don’t do that.”
“Video games? Girlfriend? Frisbees? Tell me, you little punk!” Mateo’s blood pressure skyrocketed.
“It’s my family.” The kid slumped back in his chair. “My family needs the money. It was the only way I could think of - to help them.”
That wasn’t the answer Mateo expected. He blinked. “Your family?”
“Wait,” Kyra said. “I know you. You’re Ed Smithton’s son, Brendon. They were talking about your dad at the diner last week. He’s sick.”
“Yeah, he’s sick.” The kid wiped at his nose. “He’s got some rare blood disease crap that the doctors can’t seem to figure out. He’s been in and out of hospitals for the last three months. The stupid plant where he works laid him off. He lost his job and his health insurance. Bill collectors, banks, they all want a piece of us. My mom’s been trying to find a job for the last two months, but it’s a small town without a lot of options.” Now the boy really was crying. Tears streamed down his face.
Mateo looked from Brendon to Kyra. “He’s telling the truth?” he asked.
Kyra nodded. “He’s telling the truth. Now that I’ve looked at him, I know him and I know his family.”
“Well…shit.” Mateo paused for a long moment calculating all the options. He’d played out this whole scenario in his mind and this was never one of the endings. He looked at this kid, and dammit if he didn’t see himself at the same age. He heard the kid’s words over again in his head, it was the only way I could think of to help. He abruptly stood and paced the small living room.
“Are you going to call the cops?” the boy asked.
“Where’s your computer?” Mateo asked.
“In my bedroom.”
Mateo glared at the kid. He knew where the room was since they’d spied inside already. “After you,” he said and followed the boy down the hall. Mateo sat on the edge of the bed and motioned to the screen. “You, Brendon, are going to pull up the resort’s hacked site. Then I am going to delete all of your hard work.
After a minute, the kid waved a hand at the screen. “Here’s the website and the reservation screen.”
Mateo stood and jabbed a finger at Brendon. “Sit,” he ordered. Mateo got up from his chair and sat where Brendon had been. Kyra stood near the doorway. “Don’t worry, I can fix this,” he said to Kyra before he asked the kid, “How many reservations did you hack?”
“Two. But one canceled. That’s all. I swear.”
“So just mine.” Mateo clicked on the screen. The kid had done some work, but they weren’t talking Pentagon-level hacking. He spent the next ten minutes clicking through screens and deleting data. When everything was clean, he swiveled in the chair. “Is this the bank account?” Mateo asked, motioning to a new screen he’d pulled up.
The kid nodded.
“What’s the password?”
The kid told him. Mateo pulled out his cell and typed in the account name and number. Then he looked at the name on the account. “This is your parent’s account?”
The boy nodded again.
Mateo shook his head. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. He slammed the lid on the computer. The boy shrank back. “Okay, this is what’s going to happen. What time do your mom and dad get home?”
“At five o’clock, after Mom takes Dad into the clinic. Please don’t tell them. They’re going to be so pissed.”
“Kyra and I will be back here tomorrow at three-thirty. You will be here. At that time I will let you know what I’ve decided.”
“You’re not going to call the cops?” the boy asked again, his voice barely above a whisper.
“We’ll see how all of this goes. If you follow my instructions and do as I say, then I
might consider backing off. If you try anything. I will know. Remember, I am better at this game than you.” He glowered at the kid. “I thought about taking your damn computer but then you’d just go to a friend’s house.”
“No, sir. I wouldn’t do that, sir.”
Sir? He almost laughed. It was almost like he had been dropped into the Marines. He had to steady his mean-guy stare. Mateo never thought he was good at intimidation until now. He stood, came toward the boy and leaned down until they were almost nose to nose. “See that nice lady over there? You know her. She lives in your town and she knows your mom and dad. This is who you are hurting by doing this.”
The kid blanched even whiter if that was possible.
“We will be back at three-thirty. Be here.”
Chapter Four
Kyra grinned at Mateo as they slid back into his car and drove away. She’d had the same adrenaline rush she was sure he had. “You were right, that was an adventure. Maybe I should be a Bond girl and not work in advertising.”
“When he first opened the door, all I wanted to do was bust his face for putting you and the others through such heartache. But you were right, he’s just a kid.” As they entered into the rest of the town, he added, “You still owe me a tour of the town. How about that along with dinner?” He drummed his long fingers on the steering wheel waiting for her reply.
She looked at the clock on the dashboard and sighed. “Sure.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He frowned and looked hurt.
“That’s not it. I just have a lot to do. We have this big event coming up in a few days to introduce the resort to the rest of the people in town. Everyone has to be on board if this is going to work. I still need to get the posters printed and I can’t seem to get them the way I want them to look. But, I can always work later.” She stopped. “Turn on the next street.”
He drove the BMW around the corner.
“Park here, and I’ll buy you the best steak and seafood dinner you’ve ever had at Betty’s Surf and Turf.”
Mateo turned off the car and faced her. “Wait a minute, I never said anything about you buying dinner.”
Kyra crossed her arms and tried to frown. “For everything you’ve done today, I buy, or I’m not going.”
“Hardball is it? But only if I buy the drinks.” He finally smiled making her stomach do a little flip. Mateo was so handsome with his dark hair and chocolate brown eyes that bore into her, that all she could think about was the unexpected kiss he’d planted on her earlier. I wish he’d do it again.
She nodded in agreement. “The place isn’t Daniel’s in New York City, but it’s pretty great.”
“I love Daniel’s,” Mateo stated. “I like to take dates…” he stopped. “Let’s just say I like to eat there.”
“You can buy ten, maybe twenty plus dinners at Betty’s for the price of one there. So stop getting your man pants in a bunch and let me treat you to dinner.” Kyra liked this fun bantering with Mateo. She’d almost forgotten how much fun it was to flirt.
After dinner, they strolled out onto the street. All of the businesses were closed since it was Sunday night.
Mateo followed her out onto the boardwalk that led to the marina. He patted his stomach and said, “I’m so full, you’re going to need a dolly to get me back to the car. You were right. The food there is fantastic.”
“I wouldn’t lie. Almost as good as Daniel’s, huh?”
“I agree, and as you said you could buy twenty dinners for the same price.” He looked around. “It’s so quiet here.”
“My mom used to say ‘they roll up the streets of Sunset Beach after seven.’ She was right.” He followed her out on the pier until they reached the end. She leaned over and pointed. “See the fish under the water?”
He stood beside her and gazed over the railing. “I see them. I used to fish off a pier just like this when I was a kid.”
“You didn’t grow up in the city?”
He shook his head. “A sleepy little upstate town…kind of like this.”
“Did you like to fish?”
“I fished but couldn’t really call myself a fisherman.” He shrugged. “When my parents came up from Mexico, they struggled for many years. We had a big family. Two brothers and two sisters and my grandparents. There were a lot of mouths to feed, and not always much food. What I did put some extra food on the table. When you catch them, fish are free. I learned to like seafood. I didn’t like being hungry.”
“Is that why you could relate to Brendon? You grew up with the same background?”
“I guess.” He looked embarrassed. “He has a family I can tell he loves. He’s trying to help.”
“You did the right thing,” Kyra said as she took his hand and squeezed it. “I know it was your call, but I’m happy you didn’t notify the police.”
He looked down at their entwined hands. “The juvenile hall isn’t going to help him out. I know, I was there. Thank God my record was expunged when I turned eighteen or who knows where I would have ended up.”
“You were arrested?” She was shocked. It seemed so unlike him now.
“I was a grimy, pimple-faced computer geek just like Brendon. My mother was so hurt when she came to the juvenile hall. I’d never heard her swear before that day. She swore in Spanish, but I knew what she said. She said her boy was not going to go down the road to crime. I had opportunities they never had. It’s no fun behind bars. Even though you’re a kid, you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders when you’re trying to help the family you love. I was desperate to do anything to help out. I used to hack video games and movies to sell on the street. I stole some stereos to resell, and that was when I was caught. Brendon and I are no different. But messing with you is what upset me.”
“You can see the big picture. The world isn’t black and white. You’re a nice man, Mr. Medina.”
He frowned, like she’d hit a nerve. “No, I’m not. I’m just another work-driven asshole in New York City who’d do anything for the next corporate bid.”
“As I said, that was me too. People can change and I don’t think you need to change that much because I saw what you were doing for Brendon. Down under that steel city barrier is a big, small town heart. I thought maybe we could go back to the resort and...” Kyra was embarrassed to ask what she was thinking.
“I’m not the man for you.”
“I know you’re going to be gone in a few days, I’m not asking for long-term commitment.” Kyra stepped closer until she felt the heat of his body. She wound her hands behind his neck and sifted her fingers through his silky brown hair. “But, I’d like to give you another thank you kiss. Just call it from a Bond girl to James.”
His fingers caressed her cheek and his thumb slid along her lower lip. Slowly, Kyra drew his head down until their lips met again. He tasted malty from the beer he’d just finished at the restaurant. He kissed her so sweetly, she melted.
Kyra’s breath caught as he pulled her tighter. Her breasts were pressed against his hard chest. She didn’t remember when she’d ever been kissed this thoroughly.
When they finally broke apart, they were both out of breath.
“Wow.”
“Yeah…wow,” Mateo said and shot her another sexy grin that melted the tread on her sneakers. “I’d be happy if that kiss went on for the rest of the night.”
“Me too. But, as I said, I have a ton of work to get done. It’s getting late. Can we go back to the resort?”
He looked a little disappointed. “Sure.”
When they returned, Mateo gave her a sweet kiss in the entryway.
“Goodnight,” he said. “And don’t work too late.”
Chapter Five
Mateo rolled over in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes so he could see the beds
ide clock.
Two-fifteen in the morning.
He loved sleeping with all the windows open to listen to the sea, but the fresh air made his mouth dry.
He hauled himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom. “Damn,” he muttered. “No water.” There was enough moonlight from the windows that he didn’t need to turn on a light. Heading down the stairs, he walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and drew out a bottle of water. He downed half the bottle.
That was when he heard the tapping of a computer keyboard. He moved toward the back office where he found Kyra hunched over her computer screen.
Her chestnut hair glowed in the screen’s light. He wished he could touch it again. What was it about this woman that drove him crazy? He hadn’t felt this much chemistry with a woman in…well…ever. She was also smart and business driven, obviously, since she was still here at 2:00 a.m.. Just like me. No not just like him. She’d given it all up to move back here to her friends and this town. How would it be to live here in this small town…with her?
Mateo shook his head to clear it of this silly notion. He had a life. A perfect life.
He came up behind her, bent over and whispered, “You lied. You told me that you weren’t going to work late.”
She gasped and spun her chair around clutching a hand to her chest. “You scared me to death.”
“Why? Who did you think it was? I’m the only one here.”
Kyra drew her gaze off his and traveled down his bare chest. She was checking him out. He grinned what he hoped was a sexy smile, and her cheeks flushed pink.
He continued, “The question is, why are you still here?”
“I went back to my apartment and started to work, but then I realized that a bunch of the files I needed were saved on this computer, so I had to come back and finish on it.”
Mateo took her hands and turned her toward him. “Are all your files saved?”
Sunset Waves Page 3