Enslaved (Colombian Cartel #6) - Suzanne Steele Page 0,48

you?” Mrs. Miller’s attention was clearly on Mano.

“Page didn’t tell you she had a fiance?” There was that cocky, lopsided, trouble making grin again. She couldn’t help but love him regardless of how incorrigible he was.

Page looked at Mano like he was crazy, in return she got a shit-eating grin. He loved yanking her chain and nothing was going to change that. He did have a way of keeping her mind off all the drama going on, and she appreciated that. Laughter was good medicine for all the shit she was going through.

“Well come in, come in. I have a chocolate cake I baked yesterday, and it has your name on it.”

Page reached down for the chihuahua who was still yipping at her feet. “Tobalito, you know me.” Page turned and smiled at Mano, “I named him.”

“You named him Christopher?”

“I liked the sound of it.”

Mrs. Miller turned around from where she was cutting cake at the counter, “I knew she spoke Spanish, so I asked her to name him. The whole neighborhood knows she’s bi-lingual and she’s so sweet to help us when we need it.”

The older woman shuffled over to the table and set the plates in front of them. She poured coffee and sat down across from them.

“No cake for you Mrs. Miller?” Page asked.

“No, I have to watch my girlish figure,” she winked at Mano.

“You’re beautiful just the way you are,” he gave her his most endearing smile.

“And you’re a smooth talker. No wonder Page fell for you so quickly. Now, I may be an old lady, but I know you two are here for a reason. I’d be willing to bet it’s about the death of Mrs. Boxley.”

“You know I would have come to visit you anyway, but yes, this time it’s because of bad news.”

Mrs. Miller patted Page’s hand, “I know you look out for me. I’m not offended. I was expecting you. I was hoping you’d come by because I’ve been so worried. I just don’t understand how something like this could happen in our neighborhood.

Once again Page felt a tinge of guilt. Her neighbors were being subjected to the cartel because of her. These people didn’t know how to deal with street issues. They’d been protected in the suburbs all their lives, and now they were getting a crash course in crime.

“Did you see anything?” Page didn’t want to tell her El Loco had been in her house. She didn’t want to alarm the woman any more than necessary. The only way out was through this. She would take down El Loco by herself if she had to.

“I do keep an eye on things. The only thing I noticed was a red truck. It looked like the back of it had been wrecked—like somebody ran into the back of him. Probably somebody doing that texting they do nowadays.”

Mano took a minute to glance at Page but didn’t say anything. Like Page he didn’t want to scare the woman. El Loco had no reason to come for Page’s neighbors so there was no need to warn them.

“This is one time I should have been nosier. If I’d been watching my friend would still be alive,” Mrs. Miller dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex she had in her pocket. Now Mrs. Miller was feeling the guilt Page felt was reserved for her.

“Do you know how she died?” Page hadn’t wanted to ask her such a candid question right away, but she had to ask. If anyone in the neighborhood had heard the scuttlebutt it would be Mrs. Miller. It was the reason they’d come here first.

She leaned in like she was sharing a horrifying secret, and it was. This was a safe neighborhood. Things like this didn’t happen here. It had shocked everyone, including Page.

“I heard a man choked her to death,” she dabbed at her eyes again. “It’s just terrible. I can’t imagine how scared she was in the last minutes of her life. You should be careful living next door to her. I just can’t imagine why someone would want to kill an old lady.”

“We’ll all be keeping a closer eye on the neighborhood. You have my cell number. Page jabbed Mano in the ribs, “Give her your card.”

Mano squinted his eyes at Page and gave her a dirty look like he’d be getting even later for that jab. He handed Mrs. Miller his card. Of course, when he looked at her, he had his smile and his halo on.

Bastard. Page thought to