Love Squared

by A. E. Neal

  Quinn's heartbeat quickened in her chest as worry washed over her. He was serious. Deadly serious. She could see it in his eyes as they darkened.

  "Okay, what is it?"

  He placed his hand over hers and cleared his throat.

  "I haven't been completely honest with you..."

  "Okay?"

  Another deep breath and he began, "During that summer I spent with my dad, I invited Shelly over for dinner and I introduced her to my dad. He took a liking to her quickly, just as I had, but something was off. It was like he had met her before. I asked him later that night if he knew her and he brushed me off just like he always did. The next morning, I went down to the docks to wait for her and she told me we couldn't see each other anymore. She left me there that day broken hearted, confused and alone. A week had passed and I still hadn't seen her, but I refused to let it go, so I called her that morning to tell her I was leaving, but when her mom said she hadn't seen her in a couple of days, I got worried."

  Quinn slapped a hand over her mouth as she glanced into Jaysen's teary eyes.

  "I knew my dad had connections around the town, so I called his office hoping he could help find her. He promised to contact his friends at the Sherriff's department and told me not to worry. A few days went by and I still hadn't heard from or seen her. When I asked my dad if he knew anything, he told me to pack my shit because we were going home. Of course, I refused, but he insisted he'd done everything to find her and he had to get back. Months went by, I thought about her all the time and my heart broke each day that passed and I still didn't know what happened to her."

  "One morning, I woke up, went into the kitchen where my mom was making breakfast, I sat down at the counter and turned on the TV. The FBI was investigating the death of an eighteen year old girl found raped, mutilated, strangled and left outside one of the abandoned ski lifts here in Jackson Hole. They showed pictures of the girl and my heart sank."

  "Jesus, Jaysen. That's horrible."

  He ran a hand through his thick hair and leaned in closer. Quinn took his hand in hers and entwined her fingers with his.

  "Did they ever catch who did it?"

  "No."

  "Her family owed some very powerful men an exorbitant amount of money and when they ran out on their loan, they went after the only thing they could."

  "Shelly," she breathed.

  "Yes."

  "Did you know the men who killed her?"

  Jaysen hesitated for a moment, then replied as he let out a breath he'd been holding. "Yeah," he said as he pulled his hand away from Quinn.

  "Why are you telling me this now?"

  "Because I want you to know who I really am. What I do and what I stand for."

  "I don't understand," she said as the wheels in her head turned.

  She couldn't believe what she'd just heard, nor could she believe he was only now trying to come clean with her.

  "How did you know them? The men who killed her."

  "I don't think now is a good time to talk about it," he said as he rubbed Quinn's bare arms with his hands.

  "But you've already gone this far to tell me about her. Why not tell me the rest now?" Quinn's voice shook when she spoke.

  Jaysen eyed the waitress across the restaurant warily and continued to speak quietly, "My father's men killed her. When I took over the company, I relieved them of their duties and they were pretty upset with me. A few of them are here. At this hotel. We passed them in the lobby. They know I'm here and I know they aren't happy to see me. I have to speak to them once we're finished with our dinner, but I want you to listen to me carefully, okay?"

  Quinn nodded.

  "You feign sickness, tell the hostess you're here with me and that you had to go home suddenly. Get into the car, have Boone drive you back to the cabin, pack your bags and get on the plane. Do you understand me?"

  "I'm not leaving here without you, Jaysen. Whatever you have to say to them, I will stand by you."

  "I'm not asking, Quinn. It's too dangerous for you to be associated with me right now. You need to follow my instructions, understood?"

  "No, damn it!" she shouted, slamming her hands on the table.

  Jaysen grabbed her hands and gave the waitress a quick nod, then turned back to Quinn. "Jesus Christ, keep your voice down. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you, so please, just do as I ask. Please."

  Quinn tossed her napkin on the table, finished the remainder of champagne in her glass, then rose from her seat. "I have to use the ladies room," she snapped, spinning on her heels, then headed towards the hostess podium.

  Jaysen knew she was upset with him. How could she not be? He basically told her that he was involved with a bunch of murdering psychopaths. He didn't imagine their dinner turning out the way it had. He had everything planned out, from the desert to the champagne, everything. He patted his chest, over the breast pocket, where he could feel the outline of the velvet ring box under his fingertips. His perfect world was slowly crashing down around him.

  Once she was in the bathroom, Quinn tried to regain her composure. She hadn't had to take her anti-anxiety medication the entire trip, now she was digging through her clutch furiously in search for her pills. Luckily she kept one in the pocket of her coin purse. As she popped it in her mouth and swallowed, she went over every possible scenario in her mind, none of which had a good outcome.

  She ran a towel under cool water and dabbed the back of her neck, then took a deep breath and returned to the restaurant.

  Jaysen stood as soon as Quinn returned. "Are you okay?" he asked.

  "Not really, but I'll cope." She sank into her chair and poured another glass of champagne.

  "I know this is a lot to take in, but I need you to know, I'm not a bad person."

  "But in a round about way, you murder people for money," she huffed.

  "I've never hurt anyone, Quinn. Never. My father was mixed up in some crazy shit before he died. All of this is because of the choices he made. I'm just trying to clean up his mess."

  "So, the men out there. The ones waiting for you. Are they currently on your payroll?" she asked in an attempt to cut the bullshit he was feeding her.

  "Not anymore."

  "Not anymore? So, when did you sever ties with them?

  "The night I took you to Jay's."

  "Ha! You've got to be fucking kidding me, right?"

  "I'm so sorry, Quinn. I wanted to tell you."

  "You wanted to tell me that because you got yourself in hot water with these guys that my life may or may not be in danger now?"

  "I didn't think you could handle knowing the whole story."

  "Oh! And all of a sudden, WHAM! You think I can handle it now?" Quinn was furious with him and she had every right to be. He'd broken her trust, not once, but multiple times and he knew he was about to lose the only woman he really ever loved.

  "Please Quinn. Try to understand why I did what I did. I want to keep you safe, but I've failed and I've put you into incredible danger by bringing you here tonight. I'm sorry."

  "Well, I guess this is where I pretend to be sick and we head our separate ways," she snapped rising from the table with her clutch in her hand.

  Jaysen stood, grabbed her hand and tried to stop her from running away.

  "Just let me go, Jaysen. I think you've done enough damage for one night."

  And with those words, he let her go and watched her leave the restaurant without so much as a glance in his direction. He fucked up. Again.

  Chapter 29

  Quinn curled up in the white leather chair on the private jet and as the captain cautioned her that they would be taking off shortly, she tucked her face into her palms and cried.

  How could she be so naive? she thought. The man who captured her heart was just as crooked as the guy before him and although Trenton hadn't been a murderer, the similarities were just the same. She wondered what it was about her that made the psychos come crawling after her. In the back of her mind, she wanted Jays
en to be okay, she really didn't want anything serious to happen to him, but on the other hand, she wished he would disappear from her life forever.

  Dawn handed Quinn a cloth napkin and asked her if she was alright. Quinn didn't reply, she couldn't, everything she knew about the man she thought she loved was a lie. She pulled a blanket over herself and closed her eyes. The memories of the wonderful weekend she had with Jaysen disappeared into the darkness, just as she did when she left the hotel without looking back.

  * * *

  Dawn lightly shook Quinn, who startled awake, flailing her arms and tossing the blanket in Dawn's face.

  "Sorry," she muttered under her breath.

  "It's alright, Miss Langley. I just wanted to let you know we've landed and Will is here to pick you up."

  Quinn gathered what little she had brought with her, straightened her dress and exited the aircraft. Will stood with his arms crossed looking utterly pissed off, which wasn't unusual for him, especially if he knew what Jaysen had gotten himself into in Jackson Hole.

  "Hey, Will."

  "Always a pleasure, Miss Langley."

  "Somehow I doubt that," she said handing her bag over as she got into the backseat of the SUV.

  "I have orders to take you back to Mr. Beckett's home. And until I know he's arrived in Denver safely, that's where you will remain."

  "Do you always do exactly what Jaysen tells you to do?"

  "Yes, ma'am," he nodded into the rearview mirror as the SUV began moving forward.

  "Well, as you know, I left Jackson Hole so suddenly, that I wasn't able to grab a lot of my things. I'll need you to stop at my apartment first, so I can pick up some necessities."

  "Negative."

  "Okay, RoboCop. English please."

  "You are not to return to your apartment until the area is secure."

  "And when might that be?"

  "When I tell you it's secure."

  "Jeez. Fine, I get it. Keep me locked up in the mansion until Dracula returns from battle to feed," she mocked in a snarky tone causing Will to become even more irritated with her.

  "Mr. Beckett has made arrangements to have some clothes, shoes, undergarments, and toiletries delivered to his estate. I'm sure you'll be very comfortable there until he returns."

  "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I have a business trip on Monday, so even if Jaysen isn't home by then, I'll be leaving anyway."

  "If that situation does arise, I will accompany you to Los Angeles. Understood?"

  Of course he would accompany her to LA. As much as she hated to think about Jaysen or seeing his face after everything he'd put her through, she wished he was sitting next to her just so she could give him her best right hook.

  * * *

  Will escorted Quinn into the Beckett Estate, handed her a walkie-talkie for 'emergency purposes only', locked the door behind her and stood post outside the front door. There was no doubt in Quinn's mind that there was an entire security detail covering the estate. She took her shoes off, flung her oversized purse towards the table in the foyer, missing horribly, which sent the contents all over the marble floor.

  "Damn it." She knelt down to pick her things up and noticed her cell phone flashing.

  She hadn't bothered even turning it on since she left for Wyoming, but somehow, there it was, powered up and it looked as though she had a plethora of new messages.

  As she held the phone to her ear, there was a knock at the door. She set her phone on the table, peered through the peep hole and opened the door.

  "Don't answer the door under any circumstance," Will scolded her.

  "Then why are you knocking on it?"

  "This isn't a joke Miss Langley. Do not answer this door," he snapped.

  "What if I order Chinese food? Or pizza? Or a traveling massage therapist?" she joked, but the look on Will's face told her right away, he wasn't playing along.

  "Give me your phone," he said holding his giant hand out to her.

  "Why?"

  He stepped through the door, passing her, then grabbed her phone from the table.

  "Why do you need my phone?" she asked again.

  Without a word, Will tucked her phone into his vest pocket, shot daggers at her and closed the door behind him.

  "Well, this blows," she huffed.

  She knew she could check her messages using a landline, but figured the security detail had already taken care of that.

  She held the walkie-talkie up to her mouth, holding the button down so Will could hear her speak. "Someone needs to check on my cat, Will. Do you copy that?"

  "10-4. Its already taken care of Miss Langley. Please don't use this unless you have an emergency," he said as the signal went silent.

  "Fucking fantastic!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

  She was being held captive by a bunch of steroid-fueled meat heads without a phone or any contact with the outside world and it made her furious.

  * * *

  As the hours passed in the quiet mansion, she devised two plans of escape. One required poison darts, which she didn't have. The other was a diversion, which would most likely fail, and she would probably end up locked in a window-less cell in the basement.

  Defeated and tired, Quinn curled up in the study with a hardcover copy of The Great Gatsby, one of her all time favorites.

  Quinn was so engrossed in the story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy, that she didn't hear Will yelling over the walkie-talkie until it was too late.

  "Run, Quinn! Run!" Will's garbled voice shouted through the tiny speaker.

  She heard what she thought was a gunshot, but figured her mind was playing tricks on her. Moments later, another shot rang out and she dove to the floor. The gunshot had come from outside the study window and she hoped to God Will was still outside and breathing.

  On her hands and knees, she took the walkie-talkie in one hand, switching the power button 'off' and crawled underneath the maple desk. She heard footsteps outside the study, then two men arguing just as the door flew open, knocking a lamp to the ground which shattered against the desk. She tried to slow her breathing, although her heart was pounding in her chest. She gripped the walkie-talkie in her hand as one of the men shined a light in her direction. She managed to stay completely still, hoping he hadn't seen her. He seemed irritated when he didn't find what he was looking for.

  "Not in here either," he snapped at the other man.

  "She couldn't have gone far. Find her, you piece of shit!" Then she heard the distinctive sound of a fist connecting with flesh.

  The other man cried out in pain and the two retreated back into the foyer, slamming the study door behind them. They were looking for her and through the throbbing in her ears, she knew she had to find a way out of the house. On her stomach, she slowly crept towards the window and rose to her feet, peeking outside, looking for a light, or one of the security guards. When she didn't see any signs of movement, she made a break for it.

  Unlocking the window, she slid it open quietly, then pulled herself onto the ledge, kicked the screen out and jumped down, landing on her knees in a pile of stones. She stifled her pained screams with her palm, knowing her knees were scuffed, but took a deep breath and carefully surveyed her surroundings.

  Another gun shot rang off at the opposite end of the house, so she ran. Barefoot and knees bleeding, Quinn ran as fast as she could towards the main road. Tears spilled down her cheeks and almost froze as soon as the icy air hit them. Still wearing her dress, she felt the cold seeping into her skin, chilling her to the bone as she ran. Her lungs hurt as she gasped for air, but never stopped running. Once she was sure she was a few blocks from the house, she slowed and rubbed her frozen toes in an attempt to regain feeling in them.

  After a few minutes of walking over ice and snow, she had lost complete feeling in her feet and couldn't walk any longer. She sat away from the main road behind a large oak tree as her teeth chattered and her body shook uncontrollably.

  She switched the power to the walk
ie-talkie 'on' and held it to her mouth, pressing the 'call' button and spoke, "W-W-W-Will. C-c-c-come in. W-Will?" Her teeth chattered as she called for help, but Will didn't respond. After several minutes had passed without so much as a peep from the walkie-talkie, she leaned against a tree, tucking her legs and feet underneath her and prayed someone would find her before she froze to death.

  Chapter 30

  "Quinn? Can you hear me? Quinn?" the man's voice asked.

  Quinn struggled to open her eyes under the bright lights above her.

  Her throat was dry and her body ached. "Wh-where am I?" she asked as she tried to focus on the man at her side.

  "Quinn, it's Will. Can you hear me?"

  "Will?" she forced out a horse response.

  "Oh, thank God," he breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Where are we?"

  "Mr. Beckett's apartment," he offered, helping her to a sitting position.

  "What happened? Where are those guys who were looking for me?"

  "It doesn't matter now. They're dead."

  "Jesus."

  "You had me worried sick. I wasn't sure you were going to pull through."

  "If it makes you feel any better, I feel like I got hit by a truck," she said wincing as she dropped her legs over the side of the bed.

  "It doesn't, but I'm glad you're okay."

  "How long was I out?" she asked as she tried to wipe the fogginess from her eyes.

  "About twelve hours," he replied.

  "Jeez."

  Once her vision cleared, she glanced around the bedroom looking for any sign of Jaysen.

  "He's not here. He hasn't returned from Jackson Hole yet," Will said, answering her unspoken question.

  Quinn shrugged, she had hoped to find Jaysen waiting for her when she woke even though she was still angry with him for getting her into this situation in the first place.

  The king sized bed she was sitting on, had crisp white sheets, a matching duvet and overstuffed pillows, which she was propped up on. Windows surrounded the room that overlooked a terrace wrapping around the entire apartment.