Page 55 of Boss Me

“Okay? Need anything else for a minute?”

His eyes fluttered open, and he squinted in the lamplight. Jesus, did he have a concussion?

“No, I’m okay.”

“I’m just going to make a couple of calls.” I didn’t dare leave him. What if he passed out and rolled off the couch? What if he needed to throw up? I paced a few feet away and called Sara.

She answered in Spanish. “Lito! Tía Camelia told Mamá you were here! Why haven’t you come to see us? Sunday. After church—you’re coming to Mass, yes?—come for dinner. Papa wants to ask you—”

“Listen, Sara.” My Spanish was low and urgent. “I need you. My friend is hurt. Can you come check on him?”

“Hurt? How?” In the background, I heard rustling. If I knew my cousin Sara, she was already grabbing her medical bag.

“Shoulder and ankle injuries. I haven’t looked at them yet. And cuts on his face.”

“Got it. I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thank you.”

I walked back to Ben. The dog moved closer and sniffed his face. Just as I reached them, the dog’s pink tongue snaked out and lapped Ben’s cheek.

“Ugh!” I nudged the dog with my knee until he scuttled a few feet away. “I’ll get a washcloth and clean you up.”

Ben’s lips pressed together. Fuck, he was in pain, and it was my fault. I’d sent him out alone in the dark. Shooting a warning glare at the dog, I went to the bathroom for a washcloth. I let the water run until it warmed and thought about my next call.

A minute later, I shoved the dog off Ben again and kneeled at his side. As gently as I could, I patted at the cuts on his cheek. “Did you get a good look at the guy?”

“No. He came at me from behind. He’d been drinking, though. Rum. And he sounded American. I couldn’t hear an accent. Though he didn’t say much. He was big. He had to be twice my size.”

“Tall?”

“Not as tall as you, just bulky. Knocked the wind out of me when he fell on me.”

“Do you feel up to talking to Luis? He might remember him from the bar.”

“Okay, sure.”

I called Luis. When he picked up, I heard talking and music in the background.

“No, Cooper, I’m not bringing you any booze.”

“Not what I was going to ask. Can you go somewhere quiet? This is important.”

I could picture the surprise on his face, but after a few minutes, a door clicked shut and muted the background noise.

“Thanks, Luis. Someone attacked Ben tonight on his way back to his room. I’m going to put you on speaker so he can tell you about it.”

I set the phone on the coffee table. As Ben told his story, my fists clenched tighter until my fingernails left red crescents in my palms.

“Wait,” I said. “He told you to go back to California?”

“Yeah, that’s weird, right?” Ben said. “How did he know that’s where I’m from?”

I glared at the phone. “Maybe he works for the resort.”

“Without a description, it’s hard to tell,” Luis said. “I employ a lot of big, burly guys. Listen, I’ll call Mateo.”

“Not Mateo,” I growled. “Send Ramón. Or come yourself.”

---