Page 15 of Taken By the Bounty Hunter

I hold her hand, and it feels cold and clammy. “You’re safe now, Georgie.”

Her breathing is too shallow, too fast.

I am nearly wild with rage on her behalf, but I turn that rage into something useful. I say to her, “You come here right now, Georgie.”

Georgie gives a small gasp as I ease my seat back and pull her to me over the gear shift, fitting her between me and the wheel. I wrap my arms around her, and I don’t let go until her breath evens out and she stops shaking.

Moments pass. A few employees stare as they walk by with their wagons full of groceries, but they’re more interested in the car than whatever the heck is happening inside it.

Eventually, Georgie leans back to look at me, and the car horn honks, startling her.

I can’t help but laugh, and I hope she doesn’t think I’m mocking her. To my relief, she laughs, too.

“Jefferson. You cut your hair.”

I squeeze her tight and breathe in the scent at the base of her throat, inhaling the apple smell of her soft auburn hair.

We have to get out of here, though I want nothing more than to lose myself in her long, thick locks. In the sensation of her soft hands on my shorn head. “We gotta go,” I say.

She nods quickly. “Before anyone sees us.”

Once she’s buckled in, she holds onto my hand as I grasp the gear shift.

Once I’m safely away from store traffic, we charge down the highway toward town. I like having Georgie in my car.

Every bump and swerve makes her inch closer to me. She doesn’t let go until we’re in the car port behind The Dump.

The last month has felt like an eternity, and we’ve finally arrived at the beginning of something big.

“You really need to move to a place with a garage if you’re going to make it a habit of kidnapping people,” Joaquin says, handing Georgie a glass of water.

He eyes her curiously as she sits on my lap and clutches me like a koala climbing a tree.

“He didn’t kidnap me,” she says in my defense.

“Potato, potahto.”

Georgie stares at me, wide-eyed.

“I’m an adult,” she says. “Is it kidnapping if I’m an adult?”

“Relax, sweetheart. “No one is going to come looking for you here.”

Joaquin glares at me.

“Did you hide the Charger at the place?”

“No.”

“That’s what I rented the unit for. I don’t want anyone who has a beef with you to show up here.”

“Nobody has a beef with me.”

He stares back at me severely. “Everyone has a beef with you. You’re a walking liability to my profession.”

“What is your profession, again?” I ask, tilting my head.

He points at me. “I’m an Instacart shopper. And you, no driving the Charger until further notice.”

---