Page 25 of Taken By the Bounty Hunter

I recognize the logo on the front as that of the new Chinese place in town.

“What are you doing with all that food?” I ask.

Joaquin stops and stares at the overturned table, then looks at Georgie. He turns to me with an arched eyebrow.

I right the table, and Joaquin plops the bags down one by one. “You didn’t answer my text, so I got a variety. Kung pao, sweet and sour soup, orange chicken, beef and broccoli.”

When I look past him, I find Georgie in the corner, still fixing her strap, looking red as a tomato.

Meanwhile, her eyes are trained on the bags of food, and she looks like a prisoner of war who hasn’t eaten in three days.

I scrub a hand over my hair. “I’m an idiot. I should’ve ordered food.”

“It’s not your fault you weren’t raised right,” Joaquin jokes, then turns to Georgie and extends his hand. “Time for a proper introduction. I’m Joaquin. Welcome to the dump. You can stay as long as you like sleeping in a closet.”

Georgie shakes his hand and looks like she can’t tell if someone’s joking. I pick up a takeout box and hold it out to her. “Egg roll?”

She comes over and sits down on my lap again and takes one of the egg rolls out of the box.

“We can switch sleeping arrangements around,” I assure her.

Joaquin grabs chopsticks from the bag and starts eating the beef and broccoli right out of the box as he leans against the kitchen counter. “No can do, brother. Remember, I just rented out the second bedroom upstairs, and they’re paying me government contractor prices. I’m not switching up anything.”

I give him a stern look. “Then Georgie can stay in your room, and you can sleep on the magic sofa until we figure things out.”

He starts to protest, but Georgie cuts in. “No, I wouldn’t want to put you out, Joaquin. Thank you. I’ll be fine on the sofa.”

Joaquin shakes his head. “It’s in an office full of sensitive information. No way.”

I look at Georgie and tell her, “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”

Joaquin and I take guesses about the new renter, who hasn’t shown their face yet. Georgie doesn’t seem interested in anything but food, putting away two egg rolls and half of the sweet and sour chicken.

After dinner, she insists on tidying up. Joaquin watches her, marveling. “Keep that up and maybe I’ll build an addition on the house so you can stay forever,” he jokes.

I snap irrationally. “She’s not here to be your maid.”

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Take a chill pill. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Georgie turns from washing up in the sink, “I didn’t take offense.”

“I like her,” Joaquin says. “Hey, Georgie. Maybe you can teach Jefferson some pointers on how not to be so sensitive.”

“They really should never have taught apes human speech,” I say.

This joke goes right over Georgie’s head. “Honestly, I’m just happy to have hot water,” she says, smiling as she wipes her hands on a towel she found in a drawer.

Joaquin shrugs. “It’s not the biggest water heater, but it’s enough for a hot shower. As long as you don’t spend too much time in there thinking about your personal life, if you know what I mean,” he says with a wink in my direction.

Before I have a chance to feel mortified at Joaquin talking about his assumptions that I jerk off in a community shower—which Idon’t—Georgie pipes up. “Oh really? I haven’t had a hot shower in weeks!”

Both Joaquin and I stare at her. I want to ask her again what the hell they did to her.

Joaquin rubs his hands together. “On that note, I’ve got work to do. You two enjoy.”

“Oh, I’m not…we’re not gonna…” I start.

Joaquin turns, heads out of the kitchen, and lumbers through the short hallway. “I’ll be in the office. With the door firmly closed.”

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