Quinn and Liam had a heated discussion about Chase’s condition and location at the nearest emergency room, everyone fell quiet. Including me, especially when I turned and caught the way Sofia reassured Liam with her perfectly manicured fingers on his leg. There were way too many cooped-up emotions in this vehicle. I didn’t know who I wanted to hug, kiss, punch, slap, and otherwise touch the most.
“So how are we going to do this?” I asked no one in particular after an hour of driving. “Liam, Alana, and I get dropped off at the hospital, then try to explain to Sergeant Mathews and other interested parties that we hitchhiked home?”
“Skryker will be at the hospital waiting to debrief you,” Sofia said matter-of-factly, as if that was all I needed to know.
I turned to Quinn to see if he had anything to add. He didn’t. Instead he gave her another one of those secret-combination looks to which I didn’t have the access code.
“I just want to go home,” Alana squeaked. I glanced back to find her tearing up again. “I won’t say anything to anyone, I promise. Ruby can vouch for me. I’ve kept all her crazy secrets for years. Please, I just want to see my family.”
“You’ll see your family soon,” Sofia said. “Debriefing will be short and sweet.”
“ Sweet ? Right.” I turned back around before Sofia could give me another dirty look. “And you can keep the hoodie. Other people’s blood doesn’t look good on me.” I shocked myself with my own cattiness. I wasn’t normally so rude. And I wasn’t sure my supposedly cutting remark even made much sense.
“That’s funny, because you’re kind of covered in it right now.” Sofia leaned forward from the backseat, took off my brightly colored Roxy sweatshirt, and dropped it on my lap. “Besides, cheap doesn’t look good on me.”
Ouch.
I threw the stupid thing on the floor mat and rested my head on my window. I was done with her. If I never saw her or her voluptuousness again, I’d be fine with that.
When we reached the hospital, Quinn pulled into the parking structure around the back instead of dropping us off at the front. He parked on the west end of the third floor next to an oversize black SUV with tinted windows. It made my heart ache for Big Black, who could’ve taken me far away from all this madness.
The window of the SUV descended and there he was: Skryker. “Get in,” he ordered.
I turned to Quinn. “So that’s it?”
“That’s it.” Quinn nodded. “For now.”
I tried not to let it show, but I didn’t want to leave the car. It might have been because I was now extremely wary of Skryker, a wolf in CIA clothing. Or it could have been that I’d finally have to confront the reality of everything head-on. Or it could simply have been leaving Quinn’s side. Even knowing Liam would be going with me didn’t help me move my feet.
“Let’s go, Ruby,” Liam said as he got out of the backseat, along with Sofia. As Liam offered his hand to Alana, I caught Quinn’s eye. He placed a gentle hand on my thigh and whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ll see you soon.”
My breath caught at the intimacy of the moment. No one saw the stolen touch and gesture. Not Liam, not Sofia, not Skryker, and certainly not the grief-stricken Alana.
Whatever was going on between Quinn and me needed to stop. Now.
Sofia opened my door. Like a valet to a hotel guest, she used a sweeping motion to indicate I should get out of the car. I did.
When Quinn and Sofia drove away, I didn’t watch them go. Instead, I rounded the SUV and climbed into the front passenger seat as Liam and Alana got in the back. It was only then that I realized Quinn had taken the gun out of my waistband without my noticing.
Before I even had a chance to blink, Skryker put another one of his stupid manila envelopes in my lap. “This is your story.”
“ Our story,” I repeated, hating the fact that all three of us were going to have to memorize and regurgitate a huge
“So how are we going to do this?” I asked no one in particular after an hour of driving. “Liam, Alana, and I get dropped off at the hospital, then try to explain to Sergeant Mathews and other interested parties that we hitchhiked home?”
“Skryker will be at the hospital waiting to debrief you,” Sofia said matter-of-factly, as if that was all I needed to know.
I turned to Quinn to see if he had anything to add. He didn’t. Instead he gave her another one of those secret-combination looks to which I didn’t have the access code.
“I just want to go home,” Alana squeaked. I glanced back to find her tearing up again. “I won’t say anything to anyone, I promise. Ruby can vouch for me. I’ve kept all her crazy secrets for years. Please, I just want to see my family.”
“You’ll see your family soon,” Sofia said. “Debriefing will be short and sweet.”
“ Sweet ? Right.” I turned back around before Sofia could give me another dirty look. “And you can keep the hoodie. Other people’s blood doesn’t look good on me.” I shocked myself with my own cattiness. I wasn’t normally so rude. And I wasn’t sure my supposedly cutting remark even made much sense.
“That’s funny, because you’re kind of covered in it right now.” Sofia leaned forward from the backseat, took off my brightly colored Roxy sweatshirt, and dropped it on my lap. “Besides, cheap doesn’t look good on me.”
Ouch.
I threw the stupid thing on the floor mat and rested my head on my window. I was done with her. If I never saw her or her voluptuousness again, I’d be fine with that.
When we reached the hospital, Quinn pulled into the parking structure around the back instead of dropping us off at the front. He parked on the west end of the third floor next to an oversize black SUV with tinted windows. It made my heart ache for Big Black, who could’ve taken me far away from all this madness.
The window of the SUV descended and there he was: Skryker. “Get in,” he ordered.
I turned to Quinn. “So that’s it?”
“That’s it.” Quinn nodded. “For now.”
I tried not to let it show, but I didn’t want to leave the car. It might have been because I was now extremely wary of Skryker, a wolf in CIA clothing. Or it could have been that I’d finally have to confront the reality of everything head-on. Or it could simply have been leaving Quinn’s side. Even knowing Liam would be going with me didn’t help me move my feet.
“Let’s go, Ruby,” Liam said as he got out of the backseat, along with Sofia. As Liam offered his hand to Alana, I caught Quinn’s eye. He placed a gentle hand on my thigh and whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ll see you soon.”
My breath caught at the intimacy of the moment. No one saw the stolen touch and gesture. Not Liam, not Sofia, not Skryker, and certainly not the grief-stricken Alana.
Whatever was going on between Quinn and me needed to stop. Now.
Sofia opened my door. Like a valet to a hotel guest, she used a sweeping motion to indicate I should get out of the car. I did.
When Quinn and Sofia drove away, I didn’t watch them go. Instead, I rounded the SUV and climbed into the front passenger seat as Liam and Alana got in the back. It was only then that I realized Quinn had taken the gun out of my waistband without my noticing.
Before I even had a chance to blink, Skryker put another one of his stupid manila envelopes in my lap. “This is your story.”
“ Our story,” I repeated, hating the fact that all three of us were going to have to memorize and regurgitate a huge
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