Rodriguez was the youngest member, no more than twenty. An average-looking guy, but there was a sweetness about him that made me want to fix him up with someone’s little sister. Maybe it was the shy smile or the hair that flopped in his eyes or the big dark eyes that dipped away the moment they touched mine. When he’d given me my phone yesterday, he’d taken me through everything step-by-step, patient but never condescending, explaining everything in simple English—a far cry from most tech support guys I’d dealt with.

“Guy will give you a key soon enough,” he said as he unlocked the door. “Until then, if no one answers the bell, ring Guy’s office phone. The number’s on your speed dial. He’s usually in by noon.”

He held the door open, then darted past me to the security panel and punched in a code.

“Even when someone’s already here, this will be armed, and Guy expects you to rearm it after you come inside.”

“Got it.”

“Ask him for the code later. He should give you that, even if you don’t have a key.” He pressed the last button, then paused before shutting the panel. “That reminds me. You have some experience with alarm systems, right? Ex-boyfriend thief or something?”

I nodded.

“If you’ve got a second, would you mind taking a look at something? Jaz and Sonny ran into a system on a job last week that totally stumped them. It’s not anything I’ve ever seen and I can’t find schematics on the Web. They did some sketches for me.”

“I’ll take a look. If it’s new and high-tech, I’ve probably seen it, but almost certainly can’t crack it.”

“No, that’s fine. Just looking for an ID.”

We’d gone three steps when his cell phone rang. He checked the number, hesitated, then motioned for me to wait.

“Did it come?” he asked as he answered. A pause, then he shifted his weight, one hand shoved into his pocket. “Okay, I’m ready. What does it say?” Another pause. Then a sharp laugh. “Haven’t opened it? Are you trying to kill me, Nina? Come on, come on.” A rueful look at me, then his eyes widened. “¡Qué fuerte! Seriously? Okay, okay. I gotta go. We’ll talk tonight.”

He hung up, grinning. “That was my sister. My college acceptance letter was late, and I was sure that meant I hadn’t made it and…” His color rose. “And you have no idea what I’m talking about and I’m babbling like a moron. Sorry.”

“No, that’s great. You got in, I take it. Which college?”

The grin sparked again. “California Institute of Technology.”

“Caltech? Wow. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I have to make a few calls. Oh, about that security system, are you going to be around later?”