by BA Tortuga
He was gonna have to watch the old butthead to make sure he didn’t warn Bonner. Something was up, and Gianni didn’t fucking approve. His head throbbed a little as the sun beat down on it, and he wondered where his hat had gotten to. He knew better than to be out here in the… whoa.
Whoa.
“Mister? Mister, you okay?” A little gal with the biggest belly ever stared down at him. “You look like you’re fixin’ to pass out.”
“It’s hot.” He blinked at her. She looked like Bonner, which he guessed made sense, but it was weird. “You must be Brianna.”
“I am.” She gave him a patient smile. “You must be Mr. John. Let me get you a water, and then I’ll have someone get you inside.”
“I can sit on the porch, if you don’t mind. Someone hit me.”
“I know. My ex. I’m so sorry.” A cold water bottle pushed into his hand.
“Well, I’m glad you’re safe now.” He didn’t have to pretend to be pitiful.
“Me too. Thank you for giving me a place to stay. Bonner’s been trying to help.”
“He seems like a good man.” Gianni sat with a thump.
“He’s my hero. He didn’t have to be.”
“No? Brothers can be protective.” Was he supposed to know with her that Bonner was her brother?
“Yeah. They totally are. You already look better. You should maybe think about staying in the AC for a while, huh?”
A spark of evil lit in him. “Your brother is avoiding me, or I could stay inside.”
“He’s way down in the pasture. He said he might not even be home tonight.”
“Then I’ll have to go find him.” He smiled, making it as wan and droopy as he could.
“I can maybe call him, if you want….”
“Would you?” If Bonner knew Gianni was messing with the sister, he would come back.
“Sure. Hold up.” She leaned against the porch rail, rubbing her lower back as she called Bonner. “Bubba? Mr. John wants to see you. You coming in soon?”
There was a long pause, and Brianna frowned. “Well, he’s sitting on the porch of the bunkhouse now. He’s looking peaked.”
“Let me talk to him, honey?” He went for winsome, knowing he’d dropped the undercover bit altogether.
“Sure.” She handed him the phone.
“Bonner?”
“Yes, boss? What you need?”
“You missed our meeting.” He made it sound like life or death for Bri’s sake.
“Sorry. I reckoned you were recovering.”
“I have some things I need to talk to you about. Come to the house?”
“I—sure. When?”
“When you get back this evening is fine.” He made sure Bonner knew he expected the man to come back tonight. Not tomorrow.
“I’ll holler when I get back to the barns.”
“Thank you.” He let his voice quaver a little. Not too pathetic, but definitely not well.
“Uh-huh. Give me back to Bri.” It didn’t sound like Bonner bought it.
He handed the phone to Bri with a look that said “be nice to me.”
“Hey, Bubba. You okay?”
He strained to listen, because he wanted to know what Bonner was saying. “Just tired, Sister. Wore. Make sure I got a clean T-shirt and all?”
“Sure, Bubba. You want me to make mac and cheese?”
“No, honey. I’ll grab a sandwich with the guys.”
“Okay. Love you.” She hung up. “Do you need someone to help you back to the house?”
What a dear girl. Seriously. She had a sweet smile, warm eyes.
“No, no. I’m fine. The water has helped enormously.”
“I’m glad.” She patted his shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”
“Thank you.” He stood, then glanced at her sideways. “How are you at sewing?”
“Good. I made all my maternity clothes including this dress, and I’m making everything for the babies. They’re girls.”
“Of course they are.” He gave her a real smile. “My aunt has a friend who hires local women to sew baby stuff for hospitals. She pays good money, and she’s sweet as pie. If you want, I can ask Jerilyn to hook you up.” She just seemed so… lost.
“I would love that. I wait tables, but I can’t right now. I want to help out. I can’t make Bubba take care of me forever. I’m so grateful for him, though, you know? He’s one of the good guys.”
“I can tell. I’ll talk to my aunt.” He chuckled. “My family never needed for much, but I do understand the need to do things for yourself.”
“Thank you.” She surprised him by stepping up to kiss his cheek. “Go on now and get back in that AC. Your poor face is all raw.”
About the time he stepped down off the porch, Harrison pulled up in the four-wheeler. “You wanted this, man?”
“I did, thank you. I’m afraid I’m too under the weather.” He gave the man a broad wink. “I’ll be up at the house. Bonner shows up at the bunkhouse for supper, remind him he said he’d come see me.”
“Oh yeah. Every time I see him, he sends us to the farthest reaches of the earth.”
“Us who?” Gianni raised what he hoped was one brow. Probably both.
“Me and Kody. Sometimes Colt if he’s even trying to pretend to keep to his cover.”
“Not Hank or Mr. Franklin?”
“Nope. He’s onto us, Cesare. No question.”
“Yeah, and avoiding me like the plague. I wonder if he thinks we’re the drug runners. Find anything else since you’ve been back to the back forty so much? Dead bodies? More drugs?”
“Tracks from a smaller bike than a Harley. Young guy? Woman?”
“Like a dirt bike?”
“No. Road bike. That’s why I say someone small.”
“I’ll have Xavvy look into the women.”
“Good idea, man. I’ll keep working it.”
“Okay. I need to head back to the house.” He winked. “The sister thinks I’m a little more puny than I am. I’ll get Colt on the horn.” Harrison nodded, and they parted ways. He really did want to get into the cool. Mason was standing there as soon as he opened the door, the little horn-rimmed glasses on the top of his head.
“Your foreman called. Said you were very ill.”
Oh damn. “Nicely played, Bonner. I got overheated, and my head hurts. I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh. Come sit down. I want to look at your eyes.”
“Now I know why Xavvy fussed at you.” He knew better than to fight. He’d seen Mason take Xavvy down. He sat.
“What? I’m a perfectly reasonable man as long as I get what I want.” Mason grinned, pulling a penlight out of his pocket. “I also know you guys can’t do your jobs with concussions.”
“Yeah. I hate this shit. The duct tape is the worst, though.”
“Fuck yes. The rash sucks.”
He blinked. “Is this doctor experience or personal experience?”
Mason snorted gently, shining the light in each of Gianni’s eyes in turn. “I’ll give you some diaper rash cream. It will help.”
“Diaper rash cream. Christ.”
“I know, but it works. Takes off camo too.”
“Who are you?” He asked it just the same as Xavvy. This guy was a magical animal.
“Your personal physician for now. Look, you need to rest, for real. You’re not in danger, but your head had a good bashing.”
“If Bonner comes….”
“I’ll drug him and leave him trussed up in the hallway as a gift.” Was that a joke? It might not be a joke.
“I can call Colt from my darkened bedroom, yeah?”
“Only if it’s not for an orgy. I want in on that.”
Now that sounded more like a joke. Kinda. Jesus, no more thinking. “Ah, so you’ve met him, I see.”
“I knew him before.”
Whoa. That gave Mason a whole new and interesting glow. “I thought he was hatched, fully formed, the day I met him,” Gianni teased.
“
I hear that about him more than you’d think.”
“Oh no. I think you’d hear it every day. I do. People wonder why I chose him for my team.” He winked. “I’m gonna go collapse a bit.”
“You holler if you need me. Water. Quiet.”
“Got it.” He would call Colt, but that was it. At least until Bonner came over. Gianni headed upstairs, tugging out his phone.
“Boss.” Colt sounded weirdly quiet.
“Hey.” Someone was wallowing in guilt central. “So. Tell me all.”
“It’s a disturbed ant’s nest at the bar. Xavier’s causing a huge ruckus. No one seems concerned about your Snake being missing yet.”
“Then someone needs to drop the hint. I’ll get Alison on getting it in the paper.”
“Oh, good idea. Your foreman knows something’s up. He’s not cooperating at all. In fact, he’s a bit belligerent.”
“No kidding? He’s avoiding me, and Harrison was bitching he was sending them to the back forty every day. Tell me about Mason.”
“You mean something besides I’m going to murder Tom for sending the little fuck?”
“Yep. You owe me.” He knew it wasn’t Colt’s fault he’d gotten coshed, but he would bet Colt felt like it was.
“He and I worked Guatemala together, Kosovo, Juarez.”
Whoa. None of those jobs were CONUS. What the hell was Colt doing? Interdepartmental cooperation, they called it. “That tells me nothing about him, or about your relationship, as it were.” His bedroom was cool. Dark. Yay.
“He’s a doctor, a surgeon. I’ve seen him perform miracles.”
“No shit. He’s got that angel of mercy thing going on.”
“There’s no angel in that motherfucker. None. Zero. He’s all evil.”
Holy moly. If Colt was that… reverent, then Mason was something else. “Anyway,” Colt went on, “your boy did talk to his sister. Her information lines up with Snake being a delivery boy. He’s a meth head, not heroin. Seems like the girl was just a patsy. Sucks for her, ’cause she’s carrying his babies.”
“She’s not looking to hook up with him again.” He chuckled, thinking how oddly sweet and fierce Bri was.
“You’ve met her? I mean, met her met her?”
“Just a half hour ago. I camped on the bunkhouse porch, looking like a dying man until she called Bonner.” That was kind of true.
“Yeah? He answered you? Impressive.”
“Well, he answered her, and she guilted him into talking to me.” Gianni grinned. “Very effective.”
“You’re an evil bastard. I approve.”
“Thanks. Anything else I need to know?”
“You okay, boss? Really? You look like shit.”
“No. My head is killing me, and I damn near passed out in the yard.” He eased into bed, staring at the ceiling. “Mason insisted I rest.”
“I’m sorry. I was asleep.”
“Colt, you’re not Superman. I didn’t think I needed to worry this early in the game, and that was my mistake.”
“Yeah, whatever. I’m still sorry.”
“Well, don’t let it stop you from sleeping. That will make you fuck up.” He almost invited Colt to come take a nap, but what if Bonner showed up? He couldn’t explain Colt in his bed. Not a chance. So he didn’t offer.
“Boss?”
“Sorry, I think I dozed off.” If he started dreaming about orgies, he was blaming Mason.
“Sleep. Seriously, boss. I’m watching the farm.”
“I trust you, Colt. I do.” Gianni thought that was important. That Colt knew.
“Sleep.” The line went dead.
He sighed. Everything felt up in the air. Gianni wasn’t used to that. His job was everything to him, and he was good at it. But now there was Bonner. The sister. The ranch. There was everything, and he never should have thought it was a good idea to run this sting at home. Somehow he’d thought this would be easier. Almost fun.
Now his head hurt.
Literally. Gianni closed his eyes and wasn’t sure whether he actually wanted Bonner to show up or not.
BONNER STOOD in the kitchen, nodding as Colt stood there.
“He’s not feeling well.”
“Understood. Tell him to holler when he’s better.” Asshole. He’d had plans. Good thing tomorrow was his day off. Maybe he could drive into Greenville, spend the night, have a beer. Hell, maybe he could drive up to Texarkana. That was bigger.
“Will do.” Colt actually had the gall to smile at him, the little shit. Gianni had ordered his ass up here, and now he was gonna let this fucker turn him away?
He didn’t bother to say a word or make believe they had anything to say to each other. Colt didn’t work for him any more than Kody or Harrison did.
Bonner just turned on his heel and left the main house. Time to get dressed up, get on some smell good, and go. He thought about telling Micah, but he really wanted to be alone. Maybe he’d find a similar mind—maybe he’d have a fight, maybe he’d have a blow job. He went into the little guest room and grabbed his good shirt, his best jeans. A little smell good, his best hat—hell yeah. “I’m going to have a couple beers, Sister. I’ll be home tomorrow.”
Her eyes went wide. “Okay, Bubba. Be safe.”
“I will.” He tried a smile for her. “You get worried, you call Micah.”
“I will. Have a good night.”
“You too. Love you.” He grabbed his keys and his wallet and headed out to his truck. Maybe he’d take himself to Burger King too.
His phone beeped, and he almost ignored it. Damn it, he was off work. When he pulled it out, he grimaced. Gianni.
I’m sorry about Colt. I’m at the kitchen door.
I’m heading out
Come see me before you leave?
“Fuck.” Just for a second, he promised himself. No touching. No personal shit. Just business.
2 minutes
Thank you
The texts were so polite he thought someone might be fucking with him from Gianni’s phone. He went around to the kitchen, though, because he’d said he would earlier. Colt be damned. Gianni was sitting out there on the porch in one of the old rocking chairs. “Hey, boss. What’s up?”
“Bonner. Thanks for taking the time. I know it’s your weekend.” Gianni really did look under the weather, his face pale, his bruises standing out.
“You look like you oughta be in bed.” It broke his heart a little bit.
“Yeah, I was. Colt is a shit, but he felt guilty and told me you were here.” Gianni grinned. “Look, I want to apologize.”
“For what?” It was sort of important.
“Well.” Gianni spread his hands. “First off, for leaving you the other night. I had a reason, but I shouldn’t have run off that way.”
“You’d warned me. I shouldn’t have stayed. It wasn’t my place.”
“You were welcome in my bed. You still are anytime.” Gianni held up a hand when Bonner opened his mouth. “But my team shouldn’t be treating you like the enemy. I can’t tell you what’s going on yet, Bonner. I just can’t. I will tell you it’s not illegal, and it does involve the drugs we found on the property.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation.” He wasn’t sure how this had happened, what twist of fate or God or the devil or luck made this happen, but he hoped Gianni was just as confused.
“Yes, I do. My aunt hired you because she liked you, but also because you were inexperienced. She thought you wouldn’t make waves. I know damn well you’re not stupid, though, and it’s not fair.”
Oh. Oh God. He couldn’t afford to lose this job. Not now. “I won’t make waves. I won’t bother no one. Once Bri has the babies, I’ll start looking immediately.”
“Bonner. Sit down.” Gianni motioned to the big swing. “Please.”
He headed to the swing, perched, his mind going a million miles a minute.
“You have the makings of a great foreman. Both Hank and Mr. Franklin have said so. Hell, you had Mr. Franklin runn
ing interference for you today. I don’t want you to quit.” Gianni seemed… different. Less royal, more Texan.
“Mr. Franklin is a cowboy, all the way. I respect the hell out of him.”
“I do too.” Chuckling, Gianni shook his head. “Harrison and Kody and Colt work for me. The first two need to at least look like they’re working. Colt I’ll keep off your six.”
“No problem.” He knew that. He knew they weren’t drovers. “They want to be out in the pasture. I’ll keep them there.”
“Good. Do it. If you’re out and you find anything, anything at all, that doesn’t belong, call it in. If not to me, then to Sheriff Whitehead. Don’t try to engage, and don’t move anything.” Gianni put his head back, swallowing hard.
“You gonna puke? I can get you upstairs. Or water. Or just inside.”
“No puking. I just—I’m not sure if I ate anything today, actually. Your sister gave me water.”
And that was what? Hours ago? “Come on. Kitchen. There’ll be food. Sandwiches.”
“Sure.” Gianni came right along when he took one of Gianni’s hands in his so he could tug.
Bonner led the way to the kitchen, then got Gianni sitting at the big table there. “Something smells good,” Gianni said.
“I don’t think there’s anything cooking, but I’ll look around.”
“Smells like baked goods. Did you know that’s what we do in Italy for breakfast? Pastry and coffee. Maybe fruit and cheese.” Gianni looked better already. It was muggy outside. Maybe he needed the air conditioner. Maybe the man was out of his mind.
Water. He grabbed a bottle of fancy water out of the fridge and opened it, handed it over. “Here you go, boss. You want a couple pieces of cheese?”
“Please.” Gianni sighed, rubbing at his forehead. “I’m sorry I’m not better company.”
That statement was so ridiculous it made Bonner chuckle. Hard. “No worries.” He cut off some cheddar and a couple of pieces of chicken breast he found in the fridge, then added grapes. “Here you go.”
“Grazie. Are you going out to eat?” Gianni picked a grape off the bunch.
“I was going to get Burger King, maybe.” He wasn’t sure, but he thought so.
“Ah. I was about to get Whataburger when I got wonked.”
