BONNER WOKE up to Gianni’s personal assistant standing next to the bed and screaming.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Sleeping.” Get up. Move. Jeans. He needed to get out, because that woman was scary. Super scary. Like she carried a gun, he thought. She snarled, looking like she would tear out his spleen with her teeth.
“Where’s Mr. Cesare?”
“I don’t know.” He’d been asleep when Gianni left.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
He held up his hands. “Don’t draw down on me. He had some meeting. Left at like, eleven.” Shit. It was seven. He had to get to work. “He said I could stay. I’m not trespassing.”
“Then where the hell is he?” She looked…panicked.
“I don’t know.” He fumbled into his jeans. “I’ll just go.”
“No?” She grabbed his arm. “Come with me.”
“What? Where?” He grabbed his shirt and buckled up. “Christ, what’s up?”
“We have to find Cesare. Greg! He never came home!” She was dragging him down the stairs.
“What do you mean, never came home? He wasn’t up with the cowboy?”
“No.” She shoved him at the Greg guy. Wasn’t he the driver?
“You didn’t drive him to the meeting?” Bonner asked. He needed coffee to deal with this. Where was the kitchen?
“No. I thought he was with you.”
“He was until late.” Bonner was trying not to snap. “I told her; he said he had a meeting to go to but he would be back. I need a cup of coffee.”
“Maria will get you one. And some breakfast. Where is Luis?” The Greg guy whirled and ran.
“Did he say where he was going?” Alison asked again.
“I already told you guys! He’s a grown-up!” God, had those drugs been Gianni’s? Would someone hurt him over them?
“Damn it, this is serious, cowboy.” Alison marched him to the kitchen, where at least there was food and coffee. Uhn. Patos. There was precious little that a bacon, egg, and potato breakfast taco couldn’t fix.
Greg and Luis burst in a few minutes later, Greg’s face all screwed up like he was sucking lemons. “He went to town. I need to call the sheriff. Be right back.”
“Why is the chauffeur calling the sheriff?” Bonner wondered aloud.
Colt came through a door in the kitchen, face all looking like storm clouds. “We have incoming. What the hell is he still doing here?”
“Gianni left him in bed. He’s gone.” Alison twirled the ring on her left hand.
“Bonner, take breakfast to go.” Colt looked at him, and there wasn’t nothin’ but lizard stare there.
Well damn. “If he’s in trouble, I can help.”
Colt’s lip curled. “You really can’t.”
“Okay.” He didn’t bother to argue. Someone was lying to him. If Colt was a cowboy, he was a monkey, and last time he checked he wasn’t sporting a tail, prehensile or otherwise. He headed straight out the kitchen door, leaving his food behind. He was the foreman, so Colt was out of line, but something else was going on here. Something way beyond his pay grade. He didn’t get it, but he wasn’t supposed to.
Bonner headed to his house and made a beeline to the shower. He needed to wash, get Gianni off him. Then he needed to figure out what the hell to do.