Page 10 of Wraith’s Promise

"Within the week. Maybe less."

"We need to tighten security," Judge says. "No one in or out without confirmation. All civilians stay put until we know what we're dealing with."

I think about Quinn and Mariah, safe in my house with alarms, bars on the windows and a woman who can disable a man in under seven seconds. "My house is secure," I say. "New security system, Quinn's ex-military, she can handle herself if it comes to it."

"Ranger's sister, right?" Phoenix looks at Ranger for confirmation.

Ranger nods. "She's solid. Better than solid."

"Good." Phoenix's gaze sweeps the table. "Everyone else, old ladies stay at the clubhouse until further notice. No exceptions.”

We spend the next hour going over defensive positions, watch rotations, emergency protocols. I map out three different evacuation routes if we need to move civilians quickly, calculate timing for each one, present backup plans for the backup plans. This is what I do. This is what I'm good at.

By the time church ends, it's past ten.

I text Quinn: On my way home. Everything okay?

Her response comes back immediately: All good. She's asleep. Take your time.

I pocket my phone, say goodnight to my brothers, and head back out into the night.

The ride home feels longer than it should. When I pull into my driveway, kill the engine, I sit for a moment in the sudden silence, looking at my house: lights on downstairs, curtains drawn, everything exactly as it should be.

Safe.

I let myself in quietly, punch in the alarm code, lock the door behind me. Quinn's in the living room, curled up on the couch with a book, still in her jeans and yellow shirt. She looks up when I enter, marks her page.

"Hey," she says. "How'd it go?"

"Fine. She go down okay?"

"Three stories, two glasses of water, one bathroom trip that was definitely a stalling tactic. But yeah, she's out." Quinn smiles. "She's great, Dean. Seriously."

I should go upstairs. Should check on Mariah, should go to bed myself because tomorrow's another long day. Instead, I find myself crossing to the couch, sitting down on the opposite end, suddenly not ready for this conversation to be over.

"Thank you," I say. "For today. For all of it."

"You already thanked me."

"Yeah, well. I'm thanking you again."

She studies me in the dim light of the living room lamp, and I feel that same sensation I felt earlier, like she's seeing past the walls I keep up, seeing something I didn't mean to show.

"This is going to work," she says. "I know it's weird, me living here, all of it happening so fast. But it's going to work, Dean. I can feel it."

And God help me, I believe her.

Chapter 5 - Quinn

He doesn't leave.

I thought he would. I thought after I reassured him everything went fine, he'd nod and head upstairs to check on Mariah, maybe grab a shower, disappear into his own space the way people do when they're not quite ready to be vulnerable around someone new.

But instead, Dean Porter sits on the opposite end of my couch, still wearing his leather cut with the Iron Phoenix patch on the back, and looks at me like he's trying to solve an equation that doesn't have an easy answer.

"You want something to drink?" I ask, because the silence is starting to feel heavy in a way that makes my skin itch. "Water, coffee, something stronger?"

"Water's good." He runs a hand through his hair, and I notice for the first time how tired he looks.