Page 40 of Taken By the Bounty Hunter

“What mess? What happened to her?!”

“Enough chitchat,” Joaquin says, grunting as he stands and makes his way over to the back of the cruiser. “Our new housemate is meeting us in an hour, and I don’t wanna be late.”

The cruiser’s nose tilts dangerously as I instinctively lurch forward, desperate to get out of this car and go to my wife. Mark and his companion curse as they uselessly punch at the protective bars, trying to get to the back seat.

I shout over the commotion, “You cannot be seriously thinking about using Sonja to tow this car!”

Meanwhile, the unflappable Joaquin smiles as he attaches the other end of the tow strap to the back of the cruiser. “Oh, ye of little faith. Would you rather wait an hour for a tow truck, or put your trust in yet more of the local law enforcement to get you out of this?”

“That’s not the point. The hook is for towing my car when she breaks down, not for pulling something in reverse! You’re gonna fuck up the front end, and…”

When finished, Joaquin wipes his hands and struts back to my car. “Brother, your priorities are fucked. I’m just trying to make sure no one else dies today.”

My stomach drops. “What do you mean, no one else?”

“I’m sorry,” Georgie mouths. “It’s all my fault.”

Perpetually unbothered, Joaquin’s laughter can be heard over the revving of the engine.

Boy, I can’t wait to hear the rest of this story.

Chapter Thirteen

Georgie

“Your keys.”

Joaquin tosses a fresh new set to the new housemate and gives her a rundown of the house rules. She is tall, blonde, leggy, and has curves that won’t quit.

I’m not comparing myself to her; I’m just making an observation. I snuggle deeper into the blanket next to Jefferson as we sit together on the hideous office sofa. I bury my face in his shoulder, barely listening to Joaquin give the new renter the rundown of the house rules.

“Thanks,” she says. “You don’t happen to have a first aid kit here, do you? I gotta change a bandage.”

That voice is familiar.

I look up.

The leggy blonde comes into focus. She has the eyes of a Smith and the swagger of a Barker.

I cannot process this. Not now.

“Do I have a bandage?” Joaquin laughs, pushing back from the desk and going to a footlocker in the corner. He kicks the lid open with one oversized boot.

“You rob a hospital or something?” the woman jokes.

Jefferson notices me tensing up.

“What is it, Georgie?”

The blonde’s whole body snaps to attention. I wait for her to speak first when she sees my face. But she turns away from me, and instead focuses on Joaquin, who roots through the state’s largest first-aid kit.

I remain in silence and shock as the woman lets Joaquin help her replace a bandage on her lower right abdomen.

I haven’t had time to heal and process everything that has happened to me in the last month.

And on top of that, the last two days have held enough surprises to last me a year. I ran away a second time from the cult. I finally told my dad exactly how I felt about everything. I watched Orlyn Moffatt get apprehended. I got freaking married. I shot and killed my uncle. I’ve been interviewed by the state police and told not to leave the state, pending their investigation of the shooting. Oh, and my husband was apprehended on phony kidnapping charges and almost plunged off a cliff to his death in a car crash. And Elder Mark agreed to drop out of the sheriff’s race in exchange for Jefferson agreeing not to file charges against him for false arrest and arranging Nevyn’s intrusion with intent to harm me. Mark and Jefferson called a temporary truce, and I don’t know how I feel about that.

And the hits just keep on coming.

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