Page 27 of Burke (The Haven #2)

B urke wasn’t at all impressed with the idea of Shirley meeting Silvia, but he also could understand the panic at the thought of her sister being held against her will or being hurt by this boyfriend.

Frankie did seem to be quite the asshole.

Burke wanted a chance to go up against him, but that was not the way to handle this and something else he didn’t need to deal with right now.

He did have some emotions that he still needed to deal with in terms of Silvia, and that would take him some time. He thought he’d already dealt with them, but instead they kept popping up, like now.

As he prepped to get ready, Timber came to him and asked, “Are you sure?”

He looked over at him and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“I’m sending Tommy with you, and Jaxon will be tailing her.”

“Good enough, and do you have somebody else to go along with Jaxon?”

Timber smiled and nodded. “Absolutely. There are always men around who want a challenge,”

“I don’t want to take anybody who’s not ready for that kind of confrontation.”

“Toby was jumping at the thought of having a chance to go,” Timber shared, with a smile. “I’m not sure you’re up for that either. Dwight isn’t happy about missing out either.”

“No, I think she would be upset if she thought either of them were coming, mostly just because she’s scared and would want to confirm they would be safe.”

Timber laughed at that. “Don’t you underestimate those two. They may be older than the rest of us, but they’re not that old, and they would be furious to hear you say that.”

“I won’t dare say it,” he noted, with a smile, “and you’re right. Dwight and Toby are not old and have done a hell of a lot more for all of us than most of us even realize.”

“Absolutely. And right about now, you need somebody to watch your back.”

“I know, and Tommy is a good fit. I want somebody to go in with her.”

“I would normally send you, but Jaxon works better this time.”

“I know, and I would be the first to go,” Burke admitted, “if I thought I could stay hidden from view. Regardless I will still be one to go.”

Timber pondered that and nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. You could get to the meeting place well ahead of time and just stay in the background, so nobody could see you.”

“And yet, if there’s trouble,” he pointed out, “I could hop out and get involved.”

“Sure, but you’ll do that anyway, won’t you?”

He frowned at that, then slowly nodded. “If I needed to…”

“Right, so they’ll find out you’re there and that you are involved regardless.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” he muttered, “so…”

Timber frowned and suggested, “I can always come along.”

“Anybody else?” Burke asked.

“Why? What’s wrong with me?” Timber glared at him.

He snickered. “I’m pretty sure she would be the first one to say you need to get busy on that whiteboard update.”

Timber glared. “You know that I would come just to get out of that, right?”

Burke burst out laughing and nodded. “I know you would, and she knows that too. Yet she also knows that you need to do the whiteboard work.”

“Sure,” he conceded, with a sigh. “But doing that isn’t interesting at all, not when all this is going on.”

“Nope, sure isn’t,” Burke replied, with a chuckle.

“On the other hand, if you have anybody else and if anybody else wants to come, that would probably be better. We also need to know that the animals here are truly safe, and that means you need to stay and to keep watch. And keep your damn phone on.”

At that Tommy stepped up. “I’m coming too. Jaxon and I have worked together pretty well before.”

He looked at him and frowned. “It could get ugly.”

“Yeah, it could,” he said, with a smile. “I’ve done my time in the military too. I know exactly what ugly looks like.”

“What I really don’t understand is ugly family ,” Jaxon noted. “That’s something I’m not used to, so it will be an education.”

“Same for me,” Tommy added.

“And not necessarily one you want,” Timber warned him.

Jaxon smiled. “I did two tours,” he replied. “I’ve seen all kinds of shit, but nothing is as mean or as ugly as family gone bad.”

Burke nodded. “Particularly when it turns on itself. I understand why Shirley needs to check it out, but I also think that we need to be very careful. There is nothing about this scenario that I like.”

Timber nodded. “Yeah, I’m betting it’s a trap.”

“But is it a trap by the boyfriend or a trap by the sister?” Burke asked.

The men stared at him, back at each other, and then shrugged. “No way to know.”

“Which is why we have to go,” Burke stated. “And I think you’re right. If we go early, and I hide someplace, that would be a good answer in terms of keeping an eye on Shirley.”

“I think it’s a good answer too,” Jaxon agreed.

“You ride with her,” Burke urged Jaxon. “Keep her calm at least. Tommy and I will take your vehicle, if you’re all right with that.” Jaxon nodded. “Of course,” Burke added, “this isn’t even your fight.”

“Technically, it’s not yours either,” Jaxon pointed out. “But she is doing the right thing. She’s trying to help, and apparently the two of you are… friends?”

“Definitely friends,” Burke admitted. “And potentially so much more than that, but to get involved with that family again…”

“I would risk it for her, if I were you,” Timber suggested.

“I haven’t known Shirley for very long, but I’ve seen her around the animals, and I’ve watched her pitch in, helping, doing the right thing.

I have to respect that. It won’t be an easy road she has ahead of her, but we need to give her an opportunity to do what needs to be done, and that also means helping you get clear of the nightmare that her sister has caused you. ”

Burke nodded. “I would absolutely freaking love that. Did you get a hold of the detective?”

Timber shook his head. “With any luck we can sort this out before you even get back,” Timber replied. “I’ll keep trying to reach Richard. He is also a veteran, plus has worked with us locally.”

“How about he just meets us at the park and sorts it out while we’re there?” Jaxon suggested, with a sigh.

“And picks up Silvia and Frankie,” Burke added. “That would be good.”

“You really like that idea, don’t you?” Jaxon asked.

“Yeah, wouldn’t you?” he asked, with a snort. “Just think. All of this could be over and done with, and Shirley could come back and just relax for a bit.”

Timber nodded at that. “I like the sound of that too, but my Spidey senses say this won’t be settled easily.”

Burke looked over at him and nodded grimly. “Yeah, your Spidey senses and mine are on the same page.”