Page 52 of Kill Me

We make it to the van with no issues. There’s been zero activity from the main house since we’ve been here, but if what Rhiannon said is true, then it’s not surprising. Richard and Darla are probably off Netflix ‘n’ chillin’.

“Put me down!” X does as Rhiannon asks, and if looks could kill, he’d be a corpse. “What about everyone else?” she asks. “You can’t just leave them.”

“We’ll come back for them, but right now, you two are our priority,” I say as I place Quinn in one of the back seats and pull her seatbelt around her.

“They’ll come looking for us. They’re not just going to let you take us and let it go. They have paperwork that says we’re theirs to do with as they please.”

“Look at me,” X commands. He places his hands on her shoulders. “I know you have no idea who we are and what we are doing here. But I promise you, they won’t be able to find you. This is what we do for a living. And if, in the rare event they manage to figure out where you are, I’ve got one hell of a right hook to keep them at bay.”

“We will tell you everything you need to know, but first, we need to get you both to a safe space. We have a few hours before the sun comes up and they presumably start waking everyone up, so the more distance we can put between them and us, the better.”

“Fine,” she says. “I’ll trust you. But I’m watching you. Don’t make me regret it.”

I stand at the side of the van watching their exchange in absolute awe. He’s like this rock-hard-no feelings asshole that’s all of a sudden turned into a fucking teddy bear for this little firecracker he found by chance. I’ve never seen him act this way towards a woman. It’s… fascinating.

“Right, you two, enough flirting. Time to go.”

“I’m not—” she says.

“We weren't,” X says at the same time.

“Yeah, yeah, and I’m not secretly in love with my soon-to-be-patient. Pull the other one.”

Rhiannon gets in the front next to X, whilst I climb into the back with Quinn. I’ve just gotten her back; I’m never letting her out of my sight again.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Quinn - Present Day

My mind is mangled. My head hurts. I dreamt that Harley came to save me. I can smell leather and smoke. But not Harley’s kind of smoke. Cigarette smoke. And petrol. My eyes won’t open. They’re so heavy. Maybe I just need to rest a little bit more.

I’m sitting on the sofa editing videos for my secret social media account when there’s a knock at the door. Mum is out with Eric, and Dad is at work. Maybe they forgot their keys.

I open the door, and I’m greeted by my brother’s best friend, Keelan. He’s a breath of fresh air. Someone I have a lot of time for and someone I wish would see me as more than his best friend’s big sister. But, alas, that has never happened.

“Hi! What a nice surprise! What are you doing here?” I ask him.

His face is somber and panic sets in. “What happened? Is it my parents? Are they okay? Where is Eric? What did he do to them?”

“They’re fine, Quinn.” His tone is sad. His shoulders are hunched over.

“Then why do you look so sad?”

“Quinn. I have something to tell you. And it’s gonna hurt like hell, but you deserve to know the truth.”

“Okay, come in.”

I pull the door wider to let him through, closing it behind me, and lead him into the living room.

“You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

“I found something on Eric’s laptop. Something bad. But before I tell you, did you know he and Millie are together?”

“My Millie?” I laugh because that’s fucking ridiculous.

“Yes, Quinn. I saw them together on video.”

“What do you mean on video?” He shuffles on the sofa, clearly uncomfortable as he wrings his hands and cracks his knuckles.