Page 51 of Saving Bonnie

My phone beeps. Saul. I tap the message.

Hi, Bonnie. Sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been tied up. Someone emptied my account, and I think you might have been hit, too. I’m working on setting things right. Give me some time to get things fixed.

Well that explains a lot. What should I reply? A simple okay seems a little tame for what I’ve been through. Putting the phone on the table, I return to my task while I think about what to reply.

Rinsing the sink, I keep checking the drive every few seconds. As if Cord, or anyone else, would come strolling through. So, if they get their guy, is this it?

My mind wanders to the times Tino sat at the table, concentrating on his computer as I did the morning prep. He was always so absorbed in whatever he was doing. Wait, what was he doing? Watching the camera feed? But there was nothing to see...except us, in the kitchen.

My hand goes still on the faucet. Is that it? While I was sneaking a peek at him from the corner of my eye, he was blatantly watching everything I was doing?

A splash of white draws my attention. A delivery truck goes by, with Rick at the wheel. Turning the knob, I lean to the right, watching as he turns around in the parking lot and stops level with the door. He unlocks the back of the truck and steps inside.

Opening the door, I peek outside. Seconds later, Rick appears, carrying a medium-sized box.

“What are you doing?” I ask from the doorway.

He gives me a big grin. “One of my deliveries canceled, so I brought a few things you might be interested in.” His hot gaze slips down my body as he heads my way. I leave him a wide berth so he can get to the storage room. Instead, he stops at the stairs and hands me the box.

“Aw, I caught y’all cleaning.” He cranes his neck to see behind me. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

I chuckle, taking the box. “It’s just me.”

The corner of his lips goes up. “I know you fix everything fresh,” he says, a warning in his voice. “But I figured I’d let you have the first pick.”

If he’s concerned with the slowdown, I should take what I can get. The box has some containers of preparedmole. Not something I would have considered a week ago, but now I’m not sure. With so much going on, it might be best to keep what I can for an emergency.

“Thank you for thinking of me, Rick.”

“It’s hard not to think of you, Bonnie,” he says, letting his gaze run across my face.

Oh damn.I didn’t mean it like that. Last week, I would have welcomed his attention. Now, I just hope he isn’t going to try asking me on a date.

“Hang on, I’ve got a couple more things,” he says, sounding pleased with himself. “If you want to come check.” He waves his hand toward the truck.

“Sure.” I’m not turning my nose up at whatever he brought if he went to the trouble of coming back at this hour. “Let me put this down.” I drop the box at the edge of the table, next to my cell then head outside.

Rick opens the door with all the flair of the big-city doormen on television. “Here. Let me give you a hand.” He offers his palm to steady me as I step on the low bumper then into the truck. I try not to think about him staring at my ass now that it’s eye level.

Gazing across the boxes he has neatly stacked in shelves lining the walls, I frown. “What am I looking at?”

Confused, I turn, expecting an explanation. Instead, I catch a shrinking wedge of sunlight as he closes the door, leaving me in the dark. I rush to the door, jostling the handle. “Rick, what are you doing?” No answer, and the door isn’t moving.

Gravel crunches under his boots as he moves forward. “Rick,” I shout. “Rick. Let me out of here.” The engine turns on, the radio blares, then we’re moving.

I grab onto the shelves to stay upright while I reach for my phone, only to find my pocket empty.

*****

Conrado

I’m walking through the warehouse, past pallet after pallet in all different sizes, nodding my approval. “Rick’s got the place stocked.”

Iz whistles. “They’ve got a lot of food.”

Yeah, pallets of the shit he brings from across as camo for the stash. The rest goes to their regular customers. “My boy’s gotta be rolling in green.”

Iz checks me out from the corner of his eyes.

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