Page 7 of Saving Bonnie

What others mistake for kindness, I clearly identify as weakness. It’s in the hunch of her shoulders and the paleness of her face when she’s cornered. Some will take advantage of the vulnerability to the point of leaving her destitute or dead.

Bunny let a guy and a family member rob her blind without retaliating, or even calling them out. Is this how she manages her business? And she’s surprised she’s run the place into the ground?

The lights turn off in the next room. “I’ll leave you to…negotiate.” Mate strides over to check on her crew’s progress. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she organized this somehow.

Now to wait. People are creatures of habit. Bunny may take her sweet-ass time to decide what to do, but inevitably she’ll crumble. No police, no news, and no drama. She’ll keep her mouth shut, but it’ll give me leverage to bring someone inside. Pretty boy can tie on an apron and bus tables for a day or two until Olga shows up, and I can stop sleeping on a hard bench at the church.

“Mate.” Bunny stops to clear her throat. “Mate said the police aren’t coming. Is that true? I thought… Who are you?”

There’s no use avoiding it, not when my sister decided to make friends today of all days. “I’m Tino.”

“You’re not with the police,” she insists, twisting her fingers until they might snap.

“No.” I’m a fucking far cry from being law, but it’s enough that some of the tension leaves her shoulders.

“So, what happens now?” She sets her teeth on her lower lip, digging into the plump flesh so hard, I want to shake her until she stops.

She may or may not realize it, but she holds both our futures in her hands. I’m going to clarify things for her, make her understand the reality of the situation. I’m enough of an asshole to admit I’ll enjoy pushing her buttons every step of the way.

“That would be up to you. Do you want to call the cops?” If she didn’t bring in the cops after the two thefts, she won’t call them now. I just need to lead her to that conclusion so she’ll feel like she reached it on her own.

“They’ll drag you over to the police department and leave you in one of their interrogation rooms. After letting you sit for a few hours, they’ll ask a bunch of questions you can’t answer. Meanwhile, the cops they leave here will cover the entrance with crime scene tape while they go through every inch of the place, leaving a mess. They’ll draw an outline on your floor that’ll last from here to eternity.”

There’s a hitch in her breath, and her gaze shoots to the door with a mix of urgency and fear. She looks terrified, so I know I’ve said enough. Doesn’t mean I won’t give her one last jab. “The news people eat that up.”

“Oh.” She folds her arms on her knees, running shaky hands to cup her elbows.

“Or you could let things play out as they will.” I pause long enough to let the thought sink in. “Is that what you want?”

Seconds tick by, and she seems to grow smaller. The box creaks, compensating for the shift in her weight. “No…” Defeat wins this round, and she shrinks in even more, if it’s possible.

Perfect. Yet I’m robbed of the self-satisfaction I expected from getting her to switch to my point of view. She raises her head, facing me with an unexpected load of concern.

“I can’t help thinking about their families. Worried mothers wondering what happened to their kids. Why they didn’t come home.” Green eyes grow huge, and her expression tightens. Does she expect me to understand what she’s going through, or what those women would be going through for the garbage that tried to kill her?

Weak.

The light turns on in the next room and Mate returns, staring at her phone screen.

I drag in a breath, reaching for the frayed ends of my patience. “Drop them off with a friendly.”

“Mmm, well played.” There might be a flash of amusement in Mate’s tone.

It’s my turn to glare at her.

“Walk me through what happened.” Mate turns on her heel and heads through the doorway.

I follow her over before it occurs to me to leave instructions. “Stay there,” I say to Bunny. She leans back against the wall, one green sandal askew under perfectly polished toenails.

“Skinny was three paces in, facing the kitchen. He took two shots to the chest and got off one round hitting the ceiling.” I point to the hole above the register area. “The other guy jumped the counter and ran out the front door. He got about five yards before getting clipped by an SUV and went headfirst into the curb.”

“I wondered how that happened. The results look messy, and that’s not like you.” She’s been doing this long enough to recognize when something’s not right. “What did the vehicle look like?”

“Tan, midsize SUV. Driver might be a woman.”

Mate holds up her phone. “May have your driver. Female just rolled an SUV across the river. She blew past the barriers at the construction area around the curve from the bridge. She went through the windshield and broke her neck.” She swipes then pinches the screen, extending the image. “This it?” She turns the screen to show me the picture of a familiar SUV.

“Yeah. Looks like the same one. See if they can find a portable console. It was on the dashboard as she went by.”

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