Chapter 25

Something ran down my nose, but no matter how many times I swiped at it, it never went away.  With a loud groan full of annoyance, I rolled over on my stomach.  Pressing my face into the pillow, I prayed that whatever was trying to wake me would go away.  Sleep had been something that I was lacking lately, and at that moment, I couldn’t think of anything that I wanted more.

“I brought you chocolate pancakes,” a familiar voice whispered near my ear.

My eyes snapped open, not just because of the food the person claimed to have, but because of whose voice that was.  “You had better not be in my bedroom,” I mumbled into my pillow.  Opening one eye, I recoiled when I saw George’s face only inches from mine.  “What are you doing here?”

“I brought a peace offering,” he said as he stood.  With my face where it was, I either had the choice of staring at his jean-clad anatomy or giving in.

I decided to give in as I rolled back onto my back and glared up at George.  “I get that, but what are you doing here?  If Mitch were to find out, our cover would be blown.  Hell, if anyone even recognizes you, not only will your life be in danger, but they’ll know who I am.”

He let out a scoff, while that infuriating smile stayed on his lips.  “As if I would chance someone actually seeing me.”

“Where’d you get the pancakes?” I asked suspiciously, as I sat up.  With my back against the headboard, George didn’t hesitate to hand over his peace offering.

Walking around the bed, he didn’t answer my question until he was comfortably sitting beside me.  “Well,” he said in a slightly guilty voice, “I stole them.”  Before I could say a word, he held his hand up for me to be silent.  “From Kyle.”

“George!”

He raised his hands in the air, but didn’t look contrite in the least.  “It’s not like the kid can’t order him some more.  I was going to take the breakfast they had set out for Dorothy, but who eats grapes as a meal?”

The disgust clear in his voice made me want to laugh at him, but my curiosity and growling stomach took over before my amusement could.  Cutting a small piece of the chocolate chip pancakes, I popped it into my mouth while staring at George with slightly narrowed eyes.  It didn’t matter that the food in my mouth at the moment was one of the best things I had eaten in a week, it didn’t matter that George smiled at me as if he knew exactly how I felt about the pancakes, what mattered was that George could be in danger by just sitting beside me.

“Where’s Gabe?” I asked, while swallowing my mouthful of food.

George pressed a hand over his heart and did his best to look heartbroken.  It didn’t work, if anything, it made me want to laugh once more.  “No: ‘Thank you, George, for the wonderful food?’”

His voice mimicking mine was something out of a horror movie, but this time, I couldn’t keep a small laugh from escaping my mouth.  Looking immensely proud of himself, George grabbed the fork from my hands.  Before I could protest, he already had a piece of my pancakes in his mouth.  Snatching the fork from him with narrowed eyes, I stabbed into my food with a little more force than necessary.  “Thank you, George, for the wonder food, but if you touch it again, I’m going to stab you with my fork.”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” he said while trying to grab the fork once more.  “It’s not like this is the first meal we’ve shared.”

“Yeah, but you haven’t had to live off of turkey sandwiches on wheat bread.  I have.”  Another mouthful of the pancake, and there was only one piece left.  Maybe next time George decided to steal someone’s food, he should choose someone who would have larger portions.  I glanced in his direction, and immediately rolled my eyes at the puppy dog expression on his face.  “Take it,” I mumbled as I held the plate out for him.

“Nah,” he replied, his expression going back to the smile I knew so well.  “You eat it.  When I leave here, I’m going to the nearest diner and finding the most greasy breakfast I can.  You’ll have to deal with grapes and wheat bread.”

He pushed the plate back towards me, and I didn’t hesitate to pop the last bit of pancake into my mouth.  As I chewed, he hopped off the bed and grabbed my plate from me.  My eyes narrowed on him slightly, but I didn’t say a word about his actions.  The only time George bounced around, as he was doing at the moment, was when he had a secret.  The question was how long would it take him to blurt it out?  Because no matter what he was hiding, George always told me.

“I thought you were going to call?” I asked, smiling in his direction as he searched for somewhere to place the syrupy plate in his hands.

Turning in my direction, he smiled before tossing the plate onto a nearby chair.  His hands flew into his pockets, and his mouth opened, but before he could say a word, my phone began to chirp.  My eyes went to his hands in his pockets, and with a sigh, I jumped out of bed and walked towards my phone.  “That doesn’t mean you have to call me now,” I grunted under my breath, but as I gripped the phone in my hand, his familiar number didn’t show. 

My fingers shook slightly as I hit the little green button.  Clearing my throat, I shot George a look to make him be quiet before I pressed the phone to my ear.  “Hello?”

“You didn’t call in a report last night.”

“Sorry, Mitch, there was trouble at the house.”

At the sound of Mitch’s name escaping my mouth, George’s jaw turned rigid.  “It’s okay, Sweetie,” Mitch replied in a happy tone.  “Things sometimes happen that no one can change.”

Something about his tone sent me on edge, but I didn’t let it show in my voice.  “Nothing besides a family argument happened yesterday.  I don’t know who is after Dorothy, who would want to kidnap the woman.  The only thing I could understand is they want her for ransom, but the entire time I’ve been here, I haven’t had a single threat or an abduction attempt.  Are you sure someone is even after her?”

“I’m sure,” he snapped, but as he continued speaking, his friendly tone was back in place.  “Just don’t forget to call me tonight and report in.”  He paused for a moment.  “You’re sure nothing else happened yesterday?”

My heart pounded in my chest.  He knew.  He knew something was happening that I wasn’t telling him, but how much did he know?  Did he know George stood across from me?  Did he know who Gabe was?  Or worse, did he know that I was beginning to look at him in a completely new light?  “I’m sure,” I replied, repeating his words from earlier.

A small chuckle reached my ears.  “I believe you.”

The call ended before I could say another word, and to be honest, I couldn’t have been more relieved.  I didn’t know how much longer I could play this game, not against someone who I had thought of as a father for all these years. 

Arms wrapped around me, and I didn’t resist as George pried the phone from my hands and tossed it towards the bed.  “It’s going to be okay.”

“I know,” I whispered before pulling away from him with a shake of my head.  “Now, tell me where is he.”

George fidgeted, and I knew that the secret he was hiding earlier had something to do with Gabe.  “Um, he, ah, went to the store?”

“You don’t sound too sure,” I said with a large smile as he glanced away from me.  For a man who claimed he could lie himself out of any situation, he looked pretty damn guilty.

“Fine,” he said with a sigh, “but I told him to keep it a secret. So, when he gets back, don’t say a word.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.  “So, you ordered him to go somewhere?”

George winced slightly.  “You’re going to be pissed.”

“Spit it out, George.”

“He went to find information on Dorothy,” he blurted.  “The real Dorothy.”

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