She cocks her head and gives me a knowing smile. “Let’s see. It’s after eight, and you’ve only made half a dozen tortillas.” She points to the stack on the corner of the table. “Which means you had a late start.”
The one thing I never wanted to discuss with Mom is what I might be doing with a man.
“And there’s only one reason you’d be late getting out of bed,” she teases.
“Mom,” I admonish, face burning. I grab another testal. Why would she choose to have this conversation in front of Manny and MJ? Yet, here we are, literally under my roof, with her bringing up the topic. Worse yet, I can’t help but replay every moment I’ve spent with him since he got back.
He whispered in my ear at five o’clock. We’re running late… We. My murmured reply, something about having it covered, started a round of kissing and…
“So, when do I get to meet him?”
“Is that why you’ve been coming by every morning?” I honestly don’t know how Tino will do with meeting Mom.
“I thought you needed help.” Her cocky smile falters.
Oh God. I broke Mom.
“I did,” I reassure her. “I do.” Setting aside the rolling pin, I grab the towel from the apron pocket. “Mom.” My distressed tone brings Manny to a halt. I wipe my hands on the way to her while Manny takes over for me. “I thought you didn’t…like being here.” I put an arm around her.
She blinks a few times, scrunching her brow despite the threat of a wrinkle. “Why would you think that?”
“I…” I can’t actually remember. Was it something she said or did? Was it Grandma? “I guess I always thought you preferred not to be working in the kitchen.”
Her lips pull into a sad smile. “I raised a wonderful, independent woman.” She puts her arms around me. “You never needed me, not like I needed Mom.”
Oh. The realization is heartbreaking. I spent my time trying to cover everything, so she didn’t have to. Did I get that wrong? “Oh, Mom, I’m sorry.” I squeeze her tight, knowing my measly apology isn’t nearly what she needs to hear.
“No, baby. You don’t have to be sorry.” She draws back, running her hand along my temple. “I’m so proud of you.”
The stress, the headaches, and the long hours fade away. Funny how Mom can always make things better without even trying. “You’re always welcome here.”
She looks around the kitchen, her head bobbing. “Well, I enjoy the front a lot more than the kitchen.”
My smile widens. “You know, I need someone I can trust running the register.”
“And keep Cappy in line.” We both chuckle. “Why don’t you take the day and spend it with your man?”
“I can’t.” I shake my head.
“We got this,” Manny chimes in. “I’ll finish here. MJ’s got the orders. Noah can help on the phone. Junior will be here after school.”
Tino. The thought of doing nothing with someone is tempting. “You all sure?”
MJ gives a thumbs-up as he reaches for the spice rack.
“Maybe we can go back to a rotation next week,” Manny suggests. “Now that things are settling down.”
Normalcy. “Yes, we can do that.”
The bell over the door announces a customer. Mom pats me on the shoulder. “Go on.” Then she disappears through the door.
Shedding the apron, I pull my phone from my back pocket and head outside. I can’t give this up, not when we’ve reorganized to make things work. I log into the bank app, crossing my fingers that we’ve managed a decent amount with the surge in business the last few days. If I explain to my distributor, I might be able to work in another thirty days on my payment terms to build up a little cash.
My password sends me into the main menu, and my heart misses a beat. Deposit, seven thousand seven hundred fifty-nine dollars. “Oh my God.” I might be able to pull this off.
With shaky fingers, I find the number to the McClelland office and dial. I’ve got my knuckles at my lips as the phone rings. Once. Twice. Three times. The ring cuts off as someone answers the phone.
“Good morning. Opal McClelland’s office.”
“Good morning, Judy,” I say, recognizing Miss Opal’s longtime secretary. “This is Bonnie Bustos. How are you?”
“I’m doing well, Bonnie,” she answers warily. “How are you?”
A sinking feeling hovers in my chest. “Just fine, thank you.” I bite my lip for a second. “Miss Opal called me last week about the building.”
“Um, yes, ma’am.” She hesitates. “We hadn’t heard from you, so she accepted an offer a few minutes ago.”
Reality pours down over me, taking every bit of my strength. “I see.”
“I’m so sorry, Bonnie. She asked…I should have called you.”
“That’s okay, Judy.” I try not to let a bitter note seep into my voice. This is all on me. “Hopefully the new owner will let me keep the lease.”
“I’m sure he will. Miss Opal was very concerned over your place since you’ve been with her so long.”
“Thank you, Judy. I’ll wait for a call,” I say, as if the flame of hope isn’t slowly being extinguished. I end the call.
“What’s wrong?” Tino’s strong voice snaps me back to reality.
He puts his hands on my shoulders and I lean into him, mourning the loss.
*****
Tino
Punching the code on the lock, I let myself into the house. “Morning,” I call out to nobody in particular. Over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten used to announcing myself, since Iris is living here. I don’t want to walk in during anything that might embarrass her.
“Office,” Dante replies from down the hall.
Bunny goes from taking in the living area to tilting her head and narrowing her eyes. Dante mentioned liking Bunny, which means they’ve interacted. She might be trying to place the familiar voice.
Despite the hollow in my chest, I take her hand and lead her to Dante’s office.
“Bunny.” Iris’s surprised voice comes from behind us. Her happy smile puts me at ease.
Bunny whirls around. “Iris.” Though I can’t see her face, I can hear the happiness in her voice. Her pace slows, and I tug on her hand a bit to keep her moving.
“Iris, can you join us?” I wave her over. Dressed in loose shorts and a T-shirt, she’s right at home now.
I catch Dante’s gaze as we enter the large office. He’s sitting at his desk, looking as uncomfortable as I am. We’re likely both on the same track. How will Bunny react? And what will Iris think of all this?
Bunny digs in her heels, stopping to hug her friend. “What are you doing here?”
Iris’s questioning expression is so similar to Bunny’s, I can’t help but grin. “Dante has me on lockdown.”
“Dante.” Bonnie releases her and shifts to see around me. “I see you got your act together.”
Now, I see the sharp look he mentioned before.
He chuckles coming from behind the desk to greet her. “I suppose you’re right.” He gives her a quick hug.
Although I keep my expression neutral, I know exactly how long he took. Damn, I’d written off my annoyance at Rick’s attention because he was an asshole. Turns out I have a jealous streak when it comes to her.
I hook two of her fingers in mine. “Come on, let’s sit down.”
Settling on the couch, I turn to Dante. “Bunny called her landlord this morning.”
Dante gives me a simple nod.
“She was told the building’s been sold.”
He sits back. “Tino was concerned you might lose the building.”
Bunny turns to me, a brow raised in suspicion.
“I contacted the McClelland office and worked out a deal.” Her attention returns to Dante. “If you didn’t contact them by Tuesday, the building was mine.”
Her shoulders sag. “What?” Her eyes are bright with tears and confusion.
“It’s yours, Bunny,” I assure her. “You can have it or buy it. Whatever
makes you happy. I just didn’t want you to lose out because of money.”
Her bottom lip trembles, and she blinks back the tears threatening to fall.
“I apologize,” Dante interrupts. “It was bought in trust, so you could have an option to buy now that your circumstances have changed.”
Oh hell. I really should have gotten with him before coming by. Dante shuts his eyes slowly, realizing he said too much.
Seconds tick by, and Bunny exhales. “So, I suppose it wasn’t Saul who put the money in my account.”
“Saul?” Iris asks, trying to follow along.
“I thought Saul took money from my bank account.”
“Oh my God. If you need it,” Iris offers.
“I’m okay now,” she says with a grateful smile.
“The money came from the person who took it,” I reply, choosing my words with care.
“He texted a few days ago…” She looks at me through her lashes.
“He’s alive and unharmed,” I say dryly. “If that’s your concern.”
She tangles her fingers with mine. “He said someone emptied his account.” She pauses. “So, how could the money come from the person who took it?”
I press my lips together while Dante makes contact. A view of Kassy’s office comes up on the screen. “This is Kassy, our resident hacker.”
“Morning.” She waves as everyone returns the greeting.
“She’s the one who’s been keeping an eye on you when I’m not there.” Bunny’s face turns a deep red.
“Oh.” Kassy’s eyebrows go up to her beanie. “No worries. I switched cameras. And I put a big stickie on the corner.” She shows us a notepad. “Princess isn’t even old enough for PG13.”
Bonnie sucks in a breath, putting her hand on her face as she ducks. Meanwhile, Iris is laughing quietly, folding her legs under her in the overstuffed chair.
“That’s her cat,” I explain. Princess Fuzzy Butt jumps into Kassy’s lap right on cue.
“Thank God,” she mumbles.
“By the way, I got with Cord,” Kassy says, addressing me.
Bunny gasps, turning to me with eyes full of concern. “I forgot all about him.”
After all his crap, it’s satisfying to hear her confession.
“He totally gets it,” Kassy continues. “Well, um, once I explained...what...was happening.” She stumbles through the words. “No hard feelings.” She shakes her head adamantly. “He felt bad enough that he was around the corner, stuck in traffic when Bonnie was taken.”
“What?” Iris straightens in her seat.
We bring her up to speed on what happened.
“All this time you were after Conrado?” Bunny asks. “That’s what brought you to the café?”
“Well, actually we were after Olga, his mother,” I explain. “But she never came in.”
Bunny’s taken aback. “Olga came in.” She rolls her lips as she concentrates. “In fact, it was about a week ago.”
I scowl at Kassy. We’ll be discussing this. I warned her about relying on a machine.
“What? No way.” The cat scatters with a loud complaint. “I was using facial recognition and watching the monitor. There’s no way she got past both of us.” Face twisted in annoyance, she turns to the keyboard.
“She came to pick up an order, sometime midmorning,” she says to Kassy.
Kassy forwards through the footage, mumbling under her breath.
“I couldn’t find anything for her,” Bunny continues. “She claimed she texted my cousin and left empty-handed.”
“So Erica was involved?” Iris asks.
“Both Sergio and Erica.”
Iris gasps.
“When I caught Sergio stealing, I fired him. Then I found out Erica didn’t make the deposits and fired her, too.”
“On top of everything else,” Iris mutters.
“I know,” Bonnie scoffs. “Meanwhile, their contact brought in another package and nobody was there to receive it.”
“I just went through all the morning footage,” Kassy interrupts. “And no Olga.” She posts the picture on the screen.
“Who’s that?” Bunny asks.
I glance from her to Iris. They’re both looking confused.
“Olga,” Kassy says with a note of confusion.
Bunny shakes her head.
“That’s not Olga,” Iris confirms.
Kassy flips back to her keyboard, bringing up Olga’s driver’s license for us to see. Conrado’s birth certificate comes next. Then she brings up his social media profile. Scrolling through, she clicks on Olga’s picture. The post is wishing his mother a happy birthday.
“Well this lady may be named Olga,” Bunny suggests, “but that’s not his mother.”
I look past Iris to Dante. He’s hyper-focused on the image. The muscle ticking at his jaw is enough to gauge his mood.
While we were on the right track, we still missed our mark.
“Can you go through and find a bleached blonde wearing tight clothes. She’ll be talking to me at the counter.”
Kassy goes on to search the footage.
“Since everybody knows what’s going on,” Bonnie says, wetting her lips. “I need to tell you something.” She’s facing Iris while reaching for my hand.
“Okay,” Iris says with apprehension.
“Well, while everything was happening yesterday, Tony came up.” Bunny takes a deep breath. “Iris, I’m sorry, but your dad’s dead.”
I squeeze Bunny’s fingers as Iris slumps against the cushions. Dante’s out of his seat and at her side within a second. Tears run down her face as he gathers her to his chest.
“Olga killed him during an argument.” Bunny’s voice is shaking now. “Conrado and Izzy buried him under the driveway.” Bunny covers her mouth, and I put my arm around her, bringing her close. She’s done what Dante couldn’t bring himself to do.
Kassy studies us through the camera, and I give her a hard stare. She has enough sense to go back to her search without saying a word.
Grief is overshadowed by a sense of general relief. Not knowing what happened to someone can be much worse. At least she can find closure in burying him.
A still of the video footage fills the screen. Bleached hair, sharp eyebrows, anger molding her expression. Unlike the woman in the original picture, this woman could easily con a man.
With a better understanding of the woman, we should be able to find her.
“We’ll track her down.”
*****
Thank you for reading SAVING BONNIE.
You can read Montoya and Mate’s story in Seducing Mattie.
Where’s Conrado? Olga’s searching for her missing son and Mate keeps coming up. Will Montoya finally get the woman he’s been waiting for? If so, will he be able to save her?
EXCERPT FROM SEDUCING MATTIE
CHAPTER ONE
Mattie
“You’ve been a bad boy,” I whisper to the man whose body is laid out on the table before me. “A very bad boy.” I adjust the surgical light over the wound. “I know you’re in there.” I set my teeth on the tip of my tongue, as if doing so would help me concentrate, then find something solid. Squeezing the finger rings on the stainless-steel forceps, I grasp the fragment. “Gotcha.” With a steady hand, I extract the piece and study it under the added light. Bullet fragment. I don’t need to irrigate to know for sure. I release it into a nearby kidney tray with the other pieces. Metal hits metal with a satisfying ping.
“You should have been a surgeon.” Father Martinez, or the man currently known as Father Martinez, nods in approval from nearby. He’s tall, well-built, and muscular. A man who would look more at home in an underground fighting ring than he does on the pulpit. Though he’s managed to make a name for himself. Even with glasses and a mask covering half his face, he’s managed to more than doubled the size of the congregation.
I straighten my back, rolling my shoulders to work the stiff muscles. My satisfaction fades as I gaze down th
e table. “The best surgeon in the world wouldn’t have been able to help this guy.”
“With those wounds, he wasn’t meant to be saved by anyone but our Lord.” He makes a sign of the cross.
The shooter certainly knew what he was doing. He took aim at the lungs, clavicles, liver, throat, hip, and head. “His dispatcher made sure he felt every bullet before ending him.”
“His friends over there didn’t do much better.” He swivels with practiced grace, stretching an arm out to the other tables.
One received a series of incapacitating bullet wounds. But the knife wound left a mess on the floor beneath him. Doesn’t take much imagination to figure out who took care of him. What’s surprising is the guy was left to drown in his own blood. I wondered what he did to earn such a brutal end. Normally there’s a killing blow, then we’re called in. This time we had to wait for them to finish so we could go into the building. I sigh, knowing I wouldn’t get an answer even if I asked. The other body was an unexpected bonus someone left in the freezer.
“Don’t worry yourself over them, hija,” Father says in a sympathetic tone. “These men live a life of violence and anger. They expect to die in a similar manner.”
He’s not wrong. The men and women I collect end up bullet ridden, in pieces, choked, broken, and eventually forgotten. If they’re high enough up the food chain, then retribution may come in at some point, along with an occasional corrido. And that brings several waves of bodies I need to deal with. Which made me decide to train someone for a second crew. It’s risky, but sometimes necessary. Splitting the crew doubles the response time and the possibility of getting caught. Not something I’m willing to risk.
“Did you ever have a call where tigers were involved?” Father asks with an interested tilt of his head.
“No,” I reply, shaking away my concern. “By the time I started, the practice of keeping tigers had passed.”
“Those souls will never know peace,” he stares into space. “Their screams echoing in the corridors as they were being torn apart.”
“Well, the authorities caught on and brought in forensics whenever large animals were on site. People didn’t realize how much DNA can be found in the cages, animals, and their feces.” I hitch a shoulder. “In some instances that was enough to get prison time. The verdicts made the news, and most moved back to more traditional methods.”
Saving Bonnie: A Dark Mafia Romance (Blood Ties Book 2) Page 16