Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
G eorgie dithered.
Should she call the police? No, that was no good. Maybe if the police weren’t her big brother, she might have. But she imagined calling Brody in on this, trying to explain Siggy’s kidnapping and whatever this new thing was. It had to be related to Siggy, didn’t it? Had he alerted someone? Was this a rescue attempt? Or possibly revenge?
Uncertain what to do next, Georgette sat at Burke’s desk and watched the scene play out on the cameras he’d installed. The two people in black remained pinned to the ground by whatever had flown at them from the darkness. Squinting, leaning closer for a better view, Georgette saw that it was some kind of circular electronic device. Where it came from or how it worked, she had no idea. She had never seen such a thing before. Either it was painful or very heavy, because no matter how much the two people tried to escape, they couldn’t. They weren’t paralyzed, she could tell by their squirming, but they were impenetrably detained.
Burke came into view, unhurried as always, confident and secure. She liked the way he walked. It gave her a good feeling, as if he were in charge, which he undoubtedly was. He crouched beside the first person and pulled off the mask. Georgie gasped, pressing her hand to her mouth as Jenna Archer’s face came into view. Even though Georgie was a topnotch lip reader, the screen was too fuzzy and dark to tell what she said to Burke. There was no mistaking her anger, however. Whatever words she said were spit and hissed, enraged.
Burke, unruffled, stood and made his way over to the other person, who turned out to be Jenna’s husband. Unlike his wife, he wasn’t angry. Georgie could tell because he wept piteously. Whether from pain or the fear of discovery, Georgie didn’t know. As she watched, it seemed like Jenna turned her fury on him. Shut up, stupid. Georgie definitely read those words from Jenna’s lips, and felt thankful all over again that Brody hadn’t ended up with her. Alone was better than with Jenna, of that much she was certain.
Reassured that Burke had the scene in hand and wasn’t in danger, she sat back, wishing for popcorn. It really was like a movie, she thought, as she saw Burke pull out his phone, dial someone, and talk for a while. He hung up and stared down at the pair on the ground, considering. Then he removed the remote from his pocket and touched something. Like magic, the devices fell off Jenna and Mitch. They struggled to their feet, Mitch still crying, Jenna still berating. Burke said something. Jenna yelled and pointed to him. Burke took a step toward her. Mitch put out a hand and grasped his wife’s wrist, dragging her away.
When they were safely gone, back into the darkness from whence they arrived, Burke retrieved the two circular devices. Georgie watched him go out of view from one camera and come into view on another, to the back of the inn where he’d built a wooden shed of sorts. She’d thought he’d built it to disguise the trashcans, but apparently not because when he opened it she saw an electronic unit that looked like it housed futuristic robots. He secured the circular devices back into their slots. On closer inspection Georgette realized there were four of them, not two. Then Burke re-locked the shed, turned toward the camera, and waved at Georgette before heading unhurriedly back inside.
Suddenly Georgette felt a flutter of panic. They’d been on the track to something monumental, but now the moment was gone, and she had no idea how to get it back again. She liked being Burke’s friend, but she wanted so much more, and she had no idea how to make it happen.
Burke opened the door and walked to the bed, taking a seat across from her while she remained at the desk. “You know, for a small town inn in the middle of one of the least-populated states, you have a lot of intrigue here, Georgette.”
The way he said her name gave her a little chill. How had she never noticed that he said it like a caress? “Were they after more globes?”
He shook his head. “What did you say to Jenna tonight? Something about The Oracle?”
Georgette flushed. “Oops, sorry. I don’t actually remember. Apparently drunk me has loose lips.”
Burke’s gaze fell to her lips, and she got another chill. “Anyway, they weren’t after a globe, they were after you.”
Her brows rose. “Me? What did they want with me?”
“They wanted to know what you knew, wanted to use you as leverage to get to me. Or something, I don’t know. I think it was probably Mitch’s plan. Let’s just say that the villains on Scooby Doo came up with better ideas. Mitch’s hamster stopped turning a long time ago, I think, and Jenna’s too blinded by jealousy and rage to think rationally.”
“I don’t understand,” Georgette said.
“Purses. Jenna’s been using their maple shipments to smuggle knockoff designer purses from Bulgaria.”
“That was the chatter The Oracle picked up?”
Burke nodded. “The irony is that if Siggy hadn’t sent that guy for you, I would never have picked up on it. They got caught up in a net that had nothing to do with them.”
“So you let them go?”
“For tonight. I called some people I know who deal with international crimes of that nature, and they’re going to deal with it.”
“What if they run?” Georgie asked.
“Then the tracking devices I put on them will find them,” Burke said.
“Wow, is that what those circle device things were?”
“No, those were something else, my own little security invention, something new I’m testing called Sentinel. After the break in, I thought it would be a good time to set them up, and I’m glad I did. They sense an intruder and immobilize until help arrives.”
“How do they do that?” Georgette asked.
“They target the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the gut. It basically paralyzes all non-essential function with a series of electric impulses that overwhelms and confuses. It’s not exactly painful, but it’s not non-painful, if you know what I mean. I tested it on myself. I was glad to be done with it.”
“You’re not a hobo, are you.”
He shook his head.
“What are you?” she breathed.
“A guy who’s good with tech,” he said.
They stared at each other, the space between them feeling at once vast and insignificant. Georgette didn’t know how to proceed, and it occurred to her suddenly that neither did Burke. She had wanted the fantasy of a guy who said and did all the right things, but that was all it was: fantasy. In reality that person had turned out to be a lying, manipulative thief. This person, Burke, was real and flawed and possibly clueless. He had told her, in multiple ways and on multiple occasions, that he had no idea how to operate in normal relationships. And he had showed her, in numerous ways and on numerous occasions, that he cared. The ball was in her court and maybe always had been, and yet Georgette had hesitated, hoping and waiting for him to make a move.
She stood.
He stood
She took a step forward.
He took a step forward.
They were toe to toe, him staring down at her, her staring up at him.
She licked her lips.
He stared at them.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry? I could make you a sandwich,” she said, reaching for him. Her hand landed on his stomach and she stroked it gently.
Burke shook his head. His hand settled against her neck, cupping her face this time.
“Burke,” she said.
“What?” he asked.
“How do you know when someone loves you, if they never say the words?”
He touched his thumb to her lips. “Georgette, my mom always said the words, and they never counted. Because her actions were toxic, hurtful, and selfish. I swore to myself that I would be different, that I would do the opposite. That I would show up and try to do whatever necessary to show instead of tell.” He swallowed hard. “Have I not done that?”
“Sometimes I think so, but actions without context can be equally meaningless, and I don’t know what it means, Burke. I don’t know what any of it means. You’ve done so many sweet and kind and caring things for me, but you’ve never told me why, you’ve never explained any of it.” She blinked up at him, a heartbreaking amount of hope in her eyes.
“I don’t know how to explain, how to say the words.”
There was a part of her that wanted to retreat in disappointment, and maybe hurt, but she pressed on because this was bigger than her hurt feelings. Burke needed her, how could she refuse him? “Were you actually homeless when you moved in here?”
He nodded. “I mean, yes and no. I had a place, but it wasn’t a home.” His free hand touched her cheek, caressing. “Ribs asked me to do the seminar, and I had no expectations of that, outside of seeing Maine, a place I’d always wanted to go. And then I almost knocked this woman down the stairs, the cutest, softest, sweetest woman, who smelled like vanilla and warm sugar all the time. And something happened to me, something inexplicable. Because I had spent so much time hardening myself, trying not to feel anything at all. And here was this person who made me feel things. I didn’t like it. It was very uncomfortable, and I was glad go away.”
“But you came back,” she prompted.
He nodded. “Because I couldn’t get away, not really. I kept thinking about you. I kept feeling things. It was maddening. And I…what’s the word…I yearned . I had never yearned for anything or anyone before. I yearned for you and this place and…” he glanced around, as if the room might offer a solution. “I yearned for home . My house was never a home, growing up. It was more like a prison, and my mom was the warden. I felt desperate to escape. But here, with you, I felt desperate to return.”
“But you didn’t know how to do that,” she said gently, smoothing her hand on his stomach again, soothing him.
He nodded and took a deep breath. “I wanted to be near you. I didn’t know why, because the feelings, they weren’t good, at least not at first. They were aggravating. They niggled at me, chipping away at that hard outer shell. But you kept coming at me, offering me food, conversation, laughter, warmth, friendship. All the things I didn’t realize I’d been missing.”
“Is that all this is? Friendship?” she asked. This time she was fairly certain she’d whispered.
He shook his head.
“Okay,” Georgette said. If he couldn’t say the words, so be it. Because he had proved his love for her, time and again. He had kept her safe, watched over her, helped her with the inn, taken care of her in innumerable ways. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
“No,” he said. “This part I can handle, and I’m going to kiss you .”
“So be it,” she said, lips still smiling gently when his met hers.