“I didn’t say anything about food,” Daniel called after him.
“But we’ve been walking all morning.” Edward spun around but kept walking backward while looking at Daniel. “I need to keep up my strength. All this needs fuel.” He lifted one arm and flexed, muscles straining the short sleeve of his button-down shirt.
Hell, the man was mouthwatering, and some primal part of Daniel’s brain wanted to drop to his knees in the middle of the square and suck his cock down his throat. But he couldn’t because he still technically hated Edward. Oh, and because that wasn’t proper public behavior. Yeah, that was totally what was holding him back.
Instead, Daniel forced himself not to roll his eyes again as he got to his feet and followed after Edward. It was on the tip of his tongue to point out that they’d been snacking all morning, but he had a feeling that Edward had something else in mind besides food.
“Hey,” he called on a whim. “Do that again.”
“What? This?” Edward flexed his arm again. Daniel lifted his phone and quickly snapped a picture. He sent it off to Quinn with a message that he’d arrived safe and sound. It was barely eleven in the late morning in Barcelona, making it about five in the morning in Cincinnati. Quinn wouldn’t be awake yet, but Edward’s sexy picture would be there to greet him when he got up.
Edward walked back over to him and frowned. “Did you just text my picture to someone?”
“A friend and coworker. I told him I was in Barcelona in case I suddenly disappear.” He ignored Edward’s glare and continued. “He was wondering why I would just change plans and run off to Spain. I had to give him a good reason.”
Edward’s frown was replaced with a wide grin. “And I’m a good reason to run off to Europe?” He nudged Daniel a couple of times with his elbow as he led them to the crosswalk.
“Well, you’re better than telling him that I’m a spy trying to save the world.”
“Hmmm…maybe.”
They walked for a bit, angling away from some of the busier streets, neither speaking for several minutes. But when Edward started again, his voice was all business.
“You’ve probably learned most of the things that I would teach you in your FBI training,” Edward said in a low voice. “The first thing is to always be aware of your surroundings. Always note how many people are around you, assess their potential threat level on a scale of one to five. And then keep the fives in sight at all times or move away from them. Keep your hands free and relaxed at your side. If you must carry something, never put it in your dominant hand.”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard all that before. I just never believed anyone could keep it all straight.”
Edward smirked at him. “Back at Plaça de Catalunya, there were sixteen other people. There were three families—two moms, three dads, and seven kids ranging from ages two to ten. There were two college-aged boys sitting in front of the fountain talking, one with a skateboard. And the other two people were pickpockets.”
Daniel’s mouth dropped open and then snapped shut. He had to admit that he’d been vaguely aware that there had been other people at the fountain where they paused, but he couldn’t have described any of them. His attention had been locked on Edward and the beauty of their surroundings. He’d had coworkers at the FBI accuse him of being too much of an introvert. He had a knack for blocking out all the people around him and seeing only what he wanted to see, particularly if he was homed in on an interesting puzzle or dilemma that he was trying to unravel.
Right now, he was claiming that Barcelona was what held his attention and not the sexy man walking next to him.
“How do you know the two people were pickpockets?”
“They hung close to the street and entrance to the plaza, allowing for easy escape and access to tourists. They picked a heavy tourist area. Their clothes were nondescript—no logos or pictures. Hats were drawn down low so you couldn’t get a good look at their faces. That way if someone realizes they’ve been robbed, he can’t give a good description to the police. They had their phones out, but if you really looked at them, they were watching the people, not their phones.”
Daniel opened his mouth but quickly closed it again. He’d been just about to admit that he hadn’t noticed any of it because Edward had captured his full attention. The man definitely didn’t need to hear that. Edward simply smirked at him as if he knew exactly what thought had crossed his mind.
“The key is to be mindful of your surroundings and the people at all times,” Edward said after a moment.