Page 12 of Saving Bonnie

“Whaaaat?” His statement stops me in my tracks. He brings the screen up, knowing he’s hooked me. It takes effort but I drag my feet over to stand at his shoulder. He glances over with an air of self-satisfaction at having me under this thumb. He leaves the laptop facing him, so I have to come closer if I want to see what’s going on.

The screen shows the kitchen, where we’re next to each other. He flips to the storage room, dining area, front door, register, and finally to the stairwell going to the apartment. “We can do a single view or split view so you can see them all at the same time.” He tiles the six squares to show me. “You’re fully covered in every area of the building. When the system is armed, you’ll get a notice if the sensor goes off, and you’ll see the stream from the nearest camera.”

“Wh-When did you do all this?” I haul the flour onto the table.

“I had a team come in overnight, and we were good to go within a couple of hours. They’ll finish the cameras at the front once it stops raining.”

Dread pools in my stomach. Last night, I literally owed this man my life. Now, how deep in the hole am I? So far, it’s one pile of unexpected costs on top of another, and I’m still dangerously close to a zero balance on my account. “Do we need a camera there?”

“Yes.”

“Tino, I can’t afford—”

“It’s covered.” He gives me a hard stare.

Heat pools through to my cheeks. I didn’t ask for extra security when I made the deal with him, but after last night, I’d be a fool to say no. So I don’t.

His gaze sweeps down to my printed apron.The only cups you should worry about hold coffee. The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Those cameras will help with my current task. I’ll tack on the bill for the installation.”

“But wouldn’t you be adding a lot of extra cost?” Hope goes against conscience, and I cross my fingers, praying for the best. “Won’t someone ask questions?”

“No. The cost won’t matter as long as I get what I’m after.”

His gaze lingers on me, leaving me wondering what or who he’s after. Because right now, it feels like he’s talking about me.

“Besides, you’re an excellent negotiator.” He has the audacity to wink.

I wish I had the nerve to smack him. There was no real negotiation—I agreed out of desperation. But I can’t deny there’s nothing like feeling safe under your own roof. Especially when you’d lost that sense of security and thought you’d never get it back. Maybe it’ll only last a couple of weeks, but I’ll take what I can get.

“I need to clean the table.” Somehow I manage to utter the words without having my face go up in flames.

“I had Mate’s people clean after the construction crew finished. They took care of the table with a medical grade solution.” He hitches a shoulder. “Or forensic grade solution, before using your kitchen wipes.”

And with that, the fire hits my face after all. I’ve always kept my private life private. Yet this time I blurted everything to a total stranger. Mate knows about my financial trouble due to my ex and the arrangement I have with Tino. She has to know exactly what happened at that table.

I turn away, busying myself by setting two pots of water on the stove. Then head over for the rest of the ingredients.

He closes the laptop and gets up. “Keep the stool behind the register for today. It needs to dry completely.

“Okay.” A closer inspection shows the repair was done by adding a knot in the wood. If I hadn’t stared at those stools every day of my life, I wouldn’t be able to tell.

“I’m heading upstairs for a while. Once my backup shows, I’ll be gone for a few hours.”

I may have gone blank for a second when he said he’s headed upstairs. To my apartment…to my bed. He’s right, something’s definitely wrong with me. After what I let him do last night, I feel weird about having him in my personal space. This is supposed to be a business relationship. I swallow hard. “I umm, I didn’t make the bed.”

He stops. All six-plus feet of him is looming over me, and I’m hit by that sensation of having him holding back. Pressure builds in my chest.

This time the corner of his lips pulls to one side. “When I’m in your bed, it’ll end up messy anyway.” Then he disappears out the door without another word.

*****

Tino

I plug in the four-digit code to the lock to let myself into her apartment. She has to recognize the numbers on the pin code, yet she didn’t say a word. The simple act makes me even more suspicious. Everybody has something to hide. I just have to figure out what.

Last night, after installing the dead bolt, I checked the living room, kitchen, and pantry. I didn’t go into her room. She could be the type to wake easily. While I’ve walked up to a mark without having him hear me, going through drawers and closets takes considerably more skill when someone’s asleep a few feet away. I don’t need to risk getting caught when I can come in this morning and have the place to myself.

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