Page 6 of Saving Bonnie

“She needs to unlock the phone,” Mate explains. At his grunt of acknowledgment, she sets it in front of me, letting me put my thumb on the home button. As soon as the screen unlocks, Mate takes over, flipping to my phone app.

“Hi, Bonnie, this is Opal. I’ve been on vacation these past couple of weeks and I found Ireallylike traveling.” She chuckles. “That said, I’ve decided I’m going to retire and see the world by cruise liner.” She pauses, and my tummy settles. “Since you and your family have leased the building for so long, I thought I’d give you the first opportunity to buy. If you’re interested, let me know. I’ll be home a week from Wednesday. Ta-ta.”

Mate hands off my phone as I lean against the wall. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Blinking, I fight back the tears I’d managed to keep in check.

“I’d jump on that if I were you,” Mate suggests.

Defeat settles heavy on my shoulders. “I don’t know if I can.”

“If someone else buys it, you’ll be lucky if you only get a rent hike.” She gives a half smile. “It would be a shame to have this place close. You make the bestchilaquilesin town.”

I try for a friendly smile, though I fail miserably.

“Money issues?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” My bottom lip quivers as I hold the words back from a stampede. “One of the employees I fired…” Inhaling, I give a tight smile. “My cousin, whom I trusted, didn’t make the last couple of deposits she said she did.” That feeling of self-pity comes over me again. “I went for a mani-pedi to make myself feel better.” Flashing my nails and wiggling my toes is the best I can do. “While the girl was doing my pedicure, I went through email and found a payment confirmation from last week.” I take a fortifying breath. “It seems my ex paid off his credit card from my account.”

“Oh hell,” Mate adds with a frown. “Did you report it?”

“No. As stupid as it sounds, even to me, I can’t do it. He works for the government. This would damage his career.”

“And your cousin?”

“I doubt she still has the money.” I exhale in a rush. “And I’m not going to throw family in jail.” Besides, how would she repay the money if she doesn’t have a job? “I thought those two were bad enough. Now this, and it may not be the only time someone tried breaking in at night. At this point, I’m more worried about my employees.” I run my hand down my face. “I’d counted on staying open late for the next few weeks to scrape through, but that isn’t going to help now.”

“Why not?”

My eyes widen. Is she seriously asking me that? “This place is a crime scene,” I point out to the woman with the big ME on her jumpsuit. “Nobody is going to come eat where two guys were shot in the dining room.”

She raises an eyebrow. “How’s anybody going to know?”

“You don’t think this is going to make the news?” I ask, incredulous. “Police cars? Lights?” Oh, wait…there are no cops. No lights. No police tape. And, most importantly, no questions. The only sound at the moment is a squeegee being dragged across the floor.

“What were they after?” Mate nods toward the guys in the front.

“I have no idea,” I reply cautiously. Who exactly am I talking to? They’re obviously professionals…ICE? FBI?

Seconds tick by. Does she believe me? There’s nothing in here worth taking unless they’re going to raid the freezer. “Get security,” she finally suggests. “Get an alarm system.”

I shut my eyes, leaning forward to drop my head into my hands. “I can’t afford it right now.” My voice is barely above a whisper. “I can’t afford anything.”

“Talk to Tino,” she suggests.

Tino. Terminator Tino seems like the perfect name for the man who’s barely spoken ten words to me and pretty much ignored me since the posse arrived.

“I’m sure you could…work something out.” The slight hesitation tells me exactly how she thinks we can work things out. I bristle at the suggestion, yet a little part of me is tempted by the wall of muscles I leaned into earlier.

“What am I supposed to say?” I scoff. “Help me through these next two weeks, and you can bend me over whenever you want?”

I sit back, intending to give her the glare of her life, only she’s not the one in front of me. I freeze in that half crouch, my lips parted as I suck in a breath, following dark jeans that go on forever.

“Didn’t realize that offer was on the table,” he rumbles.

CHAPTER THREE

Tino

She’s weak.

---