Page 57 of Frosted and Sliced

Five thousand dollars. That was what her life was worth to this man. He’d been willing to lie and manipulate and even endanger her for such a paltry sum. She turned to Burke, who regarded her with a worried frown. “What do we do with him now?”

“That’s up to you.”

“What are my options?” Georgie asked.

“Legally? Not much. But I’ve never had a problem circumventing the law when vengeance is on the table,” Burke said, and Siggy whimpered.

Georgie pretended to think it over. Of course she wouldn’t hurt Siggy; she wasn’t that crazy, and she wasn’t even that upset.What did it matter that he’d lied to her? He was a stranger. She saw that now, and she let it go. On the other hand, it was pretty annoying, the way he’d played puppet master with her life, for the sake of a stupid globe. “Hmm,” she said, tossing Siggy a considering glance.

“Please,” he sniffled, and she couldn’t stand the sight of him a moment longer. She turned back toward Burke.

“Let him go.”

“Are you sure? I’m up on all the latest ways to dissolve a body,” he said, and she was fairly certain he was exaggerating for the sake of teaching Siggy a lesson, too. Probably. But it was also Burke, so who knew?

Siggy whimpered again, and Georgie nodded, anxious to have him away from her inn and out of her life. “Yes, I’m positive.”

Burke gave a little nod, pulled a wicked looking knife from somewhere unknown and slit the ties that bound Siggy’s hands and ankles. Siggy rubbed them, now staring mutinously at his captor.

“I’ll sue. I’ll prosecute. You kidnapped me. This isn’t over.”

Georgie began to feel alarmed. How well had Burke covered his tracks? If Siggy went to Brody, he would have to do something about the allegations. Burke must have thought the same thing because he held the globe out for Georgie’s inspection. “Do you actually like this thing?”

She shook her head. She never wanted to see it again. From this moment on it would be tainted by Siggy’s betrayal and her own naïve idiocy.

Burke shoved the globe hard into Siggy’s chest. “Take it and go.”

Appeased, Siggy clutched the globe and took a step toward the door. Burke grabbed the back of his shirt and hauled himback, turning him to face Georgette. “What do you need to say to her?”

Siggy’s cheeks flushed red, but Georgie didn’t know if it was sorrow, shame, or the embarrassment of being manhandled like an errant puppy. “Sorry, Georgette,” he mumbled. She gave him a little nod, but Burke didn’t release his hold. Instead he tightened it, momentarily cutting off Siggy’s air as he brought him close to his face and spoke.

“From this moment on, she doesn’t exist to you. Lose her number, lose her name. Mention her or me again, and I’ll make good on the threat to dissolve you. Are we clear?”

Siggy nodded furiously, the globe now clutched to his chest like a security blanket, as if it were all that was keeping him sane. Maybe it was because this time when Burke released him he scrambled madly for the door, practically falling over himself in his haste to escape.

When he was safely away, Burke finally faced Georgette.

“Are all breakups like this?” she asked, and he did the most unexpected thing: he laughed out loud.

When he had fully recovered, he stepped forward and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know, Burke. I don’t know anything anymore.”

“What don’t you know?” he said. “Ask me, and I’ll tell you.”

“I don’t know how to go through life like this.”

“Like what?”

“Constantly rejected.”

His hands moved from her shoulders to her neck. It could have been a scary gesture. If he squeezed even a little, he’d cut off her air. But it wasn’t scary, it was soothing and supportive, careful, gentle, and intimate. “I’ll tell you. Are you ready?”

She nodded.

“Stop caring what stupid people think.”

She blinked at him. “That’s it? That’s your grand life advice?”

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