by Parker, Ali
He looked up at me. “Yeah. You’re a fucking idiot, man.”
“What did you just say to me?” I asked.
Aiden laughed—but it wasn’t a happy laugh. It was a frustrated one. “I just can’t make sense of why you won’t let yourself be happy. You and Quinn are perfect for each other. You know it. She knows it. We all fucking know it, Rhys. But for some damn reason, you’re hellbent on making sure you’re miserable for the rest of your goddamn life. You can hate me for saying the truth if you want. I don’t give a shit. But it has to be said.”
I glared at him. “It’s not as easy as you think.”
“No?”
“No,” I growled. “You know I love her. I’ve loved her from the first second I laid eyes on her, and from that moment, I knew I could never have her. Max made me promise. And after everything, I can’t go back on my word. If something ever happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.”
“And what if nothing ever happened? What if the two of you are denying yourselves happiness because you’re living in fear of something that might never happen?”
I shook my head. “It’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Does she get a say?”
“No. Because I know what she’d choose.” Me. She would choose me.
Aiden put his coffee down and walked out of the garage. He stopped when he was out on the driveway and looked back at me. “You know, Rhys, you can’t live the rest of your life trying to please a dead man.”
I watched him get in his car and leave. And then I stood there, arms slack at my sides, hating myself more than I ever had. Would the endless assaults never end? No matter what I chose, it was wrong.
I marched over to my bike and got on. Fuck the brake change. I could do it later. I needed to clear my head.
I pulled out of the drive, not bothering to put my helmet on, and sped off down the street. I just needed to clear my head. The cold wind on my face silenced my thoughts, and I was able to ride and think about nothing but the resistance against my chest and the tug at my jeans from the wind as I picked up speed.
That was the only way I could ever feel peace.
Chapter 18
Quinn
A week had passed since Rhys had left Chicago.
I still woke up every morning with a body that ached for him, and he was all I thought about in my waking hours. He was all I thought about in my dreams, too. Everything reminded me of him, and try as I might, I just couldn’t focus on my normal everyday tasks the way I used to.
Our eight months apart had almost made not seeing him feel normal. Almost. But now that I had seen him again, and kissed him, and held him, and made love to him, all those same feelings were back, and they were more powerful than they’d been all those months ago.
It sucked.
The only good distraction I had was Nancy. If not for her, I knew I would have lost my mind. She knew it, too, because she kept me entertained, distracted, and busy. All of those things were better than sad and empty.
“Don’t let me forget that we have to take the garbage out tonight before we go,” Nancy said as she popped open the register and started counting out all the cash we’d accumulated over the day at the tattoo parlor.
I peered out into the dark parking lot as I locked the door. It was nine o’clock at night, and we were finally ready to close up shop and start preparing to leave for the night. “Looks like there’s space in the garbage can for once.”
We shared the little strip mall with a few other tenants who had an uncanny knack for filling up the communal garbage dumpster before we ever got to it. Tonight, it looked like the lid was closed, which was promising. We’d be able to tuck our two large bags in there no problem.
“That’s a first,” Nancy muttered as she stacked bills in front of her.
I went behind the counter and grabbed a black garbage bag. I emptied all the trash cans in the parlor, including the one in the break room and staff bathroom, and tied off the big bag and left it by the front door to take with us when we left. I also put the other bag we’d filled up over the last two days beside the first.
“Almost done?” I asked as I walked past the front desk.
Nancy didn’t answer me as she was mid-count, but she nodded. Then she bent over and wrote down the totals, slipped the earnings of the day in an envelope to deposit at the bank in the morning, and brought it and our two hundred dollar float to the safe in the back room.
I followed her, and after she closed and locked the safe, we put our jackets on. I peered around. “I feel like we’re forgetting something.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. You got the garbage. Cash is done. All our clients were called to confirm their appointments for tomorrow. We just have to set the alarm and take out the garbage.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
I flicked off the lights on our way back out to the front of the parlor, and Nancy went to the front door. She picked up both garbage bags, and I flipped open the cover on the alarm beside the light switch. I was about to punch in my code and arm it for the night when the shop was suddenly filled with bright lights.
A car had pulled into a space facing our shop and was aiming its headlights in at us. Nancy shielded her eyes against the glare. I could only see her outline in the bright light, and I saw her reach for the lock.
“Don’t,” I said. I wasn’t sure what compelled me to warn her, but the word came out of me.
Her hand fell to her side, and she looked back at me. “What?”
“Just don’t unlock it.”
She turned back toward the car.
“Move away from the door, Nancy,” I said.
She did as I told her and retreated back to fall in line with me. She stood beside me, her shoulder pressed to mine, and we watched, unable to see anything due to the glare of the headlights. My heart pounded in my chest. My fingertips tingled. Something was wrong.
“What the hell?” Nancy whispered.
I swallowed.
Then the front and passenger door opened and were slammed closed. The headlights flicked off. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but once they did, my frantically beating heart quickened in speed, and my stomach flipped over.
“Kyle,” Nancy whispered. She took a step back.
Fuck.
Kyle was with three other guys. One of them walked with a limp. They were all bruised and damaged, and I knew without hesitation that these were the guys Rhys had fought.
“What do we do, Quinn?” Nancy whispered.
I didn’t know when it happened, but I’d pulled my phone out of my back pocket. I didn’t even think about it. I just called him.
Rhys answered on the fourth ring. There were people in the background talking and laughing. Music was playing. He yelled at someone to shut the fuck up.
“Rhys?” I asked. I sounded panicked and breathless.
“Quinn? Is something wrong?”
“I’m at the shop with Nancy. Kyle is here.”
“What?”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I don’t know what to do. He’s outside with three other guys. He parked his car and aimed his headlights in on us for a good couple of minutes, and now they’re just pacing in the parking lot, watching us. What the fuck do I do?”
Rhys took one short breath. Then I heard him moving. Someone barked out his name, wherever he was, and he ignored them. A door closed, and all the background noise disappeared. He had locked himself in a room somewhere. “Listen to me, Quinn. Nancy needs to call the cops right now. Okay? Right fucking now. Tell her.”
“Nancy, where’s your phone?”
“My purse.”
“Call the police.”
Nancy did as I told her. She dialed 911 and held the phone to her ear. I looked back outside at Kyle and the other three men. They popped open the trunk.
“What the hell are they doing?” Nancy whimpered.
“I don’t know. I can’t see.”
> “What’s happening, Quinn?” Rhys asked. His voice was thin.
“They’re getting something from their trunk.”
I heard Rhys exhale. I could picture him, locked up in a bathroom somewhere, pinching the bridge of his nose the way he did when he was frustrated. His eyes would be closed. His shoulders would be hunched. He’d be doing everything in his power to keep his cool. “Can you see what they have yet?”
“No,” I whispered.
“It’s all right, Quinn. You’re going to be all right. Has Nancy gotten through to the cops yet?” As soon as he asked the question, Nancy started to speak and tell the dispatcher what was happening. Rhys must have been able to hear her because he went quiet, and he and I both listened to Nancy as she explained the situation.
“No,” Nancy said. “They haven’t tried to come in yet. Yes, I know him. He’s come after us before and is very violent. Oh God. Quinn. He has a baseball bat.”
I looked outside. She was right. Kyle had grabbed a baseball bat from his trunk. He had it slung over his shoulder, and he was laughing and walking back and forth in front of the shop windows. He stopped at the door and leaned forward to press his face against the glass as he knocked. His voice was muffled when he spoke, but I could make out the words well enough. “Hello, pretties. Come unlock the door, will you? We have some catching up to do.”
Nancy whimpered. I gritted my teeth.
“Quinn?” Rhys’s voice filled the phone.
“He’s taunting us,” I hissed.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Rhys warned.
Nancy was nodding. “Yes. Raven Ink and Piercings. He can get in. The storefront is all windows. Please hurry. Okay. Okay. Five minutes?”
“We don’t have five minutes,” I said.
Nancy repeated this information to the dispatcher.
“Rhys?” I asked.
“Yes?”
“What do we do? The cops aren’t here for another five minutes. If Kyle comes through that door, five minutes is going to feel like a hell of a long time. Tell me what to do.”
“Fuck,” he spat. “Okay. Okay. Your door to your back room locks, right?”
“Yes. But it’s a weak door.”
“It’ll slow him down. Lock it. Empty out your safe. If he’s going to get through that door before the cops show, you and Nancy have to get in the safe. What’s the code?”
“I’m not getting in the fucking safe. Are you serious?”
“You may not have a choice, Quinn! Do you understand? You have to. Otherwise, he’s going to drag you and Nancy out of there, and I don’t know where to look for you.”
I licked my lips. “Okay.” I grabbed Nancy’s arm and dragged her through the doorway into the backroom. I slammed the door closed and locked it. Glass shattered. He was coming in. Nancy screamed.
“What’s happening?” Rhys asked. His voice was not calm. Not anymore.
“He’s in the shop,” I said as I punched in the safe code and pulled the lever to open the door. Our safe was the size of a fridge but full of shit. We stored all our cash boxes inside it, as well as some of our artists’ personal belongings, their ink and tattooing tools, and some confidential designs. I tore it all out and left it on the floor. Then I pulled out the shelves as someone slammed their shoulder into the door to the back room. Nancy was screaming again. The poor dispatcher was probably trying to keep her calm.
I grabbed Nancy’s forearm and yelled at her to give the dispatcher the safe code. She did. And I told Rhys. “The safe code is 339672. We’re getting in now.”
“You’re going to lose service. But he can’t get you in there, okay? Keep calm. The cops will get to you in time. I’m on my way. I’m getting the two of you out of that fucking city until we deal with this, all right?”
I stared into the dark abyss that was the safe. I’d always had a problem with confined spaces. I swallowed. “All right.” I pushed Nancy in. Kyle slammed into the door again. Wood splintered.
“Quinn?” Rhys sounded scared, and that scared the shit out of me.
“Yes?” I stepped into the safe and put my hand on the door to pull it closed.
“You’ll be all right in there. Deep breaths. The cops will get you out. And I’m coming for you.”
“Okay,” I whispered. And then I pulled the door closed, and the line went dead.
We were swallowed up by darkness and blanketed in silence. Nancy clung to me, and we both sank down to the floor of the safe. It was cramped, and our breathing echoed in my ears.
“Are you okay?” Nancy whispered.
“No.”
Nancy put her arm around me. “We’ll be out soon. Deep breaths, okay? Together.” She guided me through my breathing. Panic was waiting to devour me. I closed my eyes and willed myself to remain calm.
Then the men outside started banging on the safe. I was sure Kyle was wailing on it with his baseball bat. I could hear them yelling but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Nancy tightened her hold on me, and we curled into each other.
Time passed agonizingly slowly. Those were the longest five minutes of my life, and when the door finally opened, I spilled out onto the floor, gasping for breath. Nancy came out behind me, her hand rubbing slow circles on my back, and she pulled herself together well enough to tell the police what happened while taking breaks to tell me I was all right.
With shaking hands, I texted Rhys that the cops got us out and Kyle was gone.
Then I bolted to the bathroom and fell to my knees in front of the toilet to puke my guts out.
Chapter 19
Rhys
Nobody noticed I’d left Ryder’s place until I’d been gone for about twenty-five minutes. I got a call from Owen when I was leaving the city limits, asking where the hell I went. I told him what happened with Quinn and Nancy, and he almost drove out after me to head to Chicago. I told him to stay put but to let the others know where I’d gone. I might be calling on them for a favor or two within the next couple of days. He assured me he would spread the word and told me to be safe.
Staying safe was the last thing on my mind. All I cared about was getting to Quinn.
I drove all through the night and hit Chicago around seven in the morning. I was tired as hell but unwilling to stop. I went straight to Quinn’s apartment, parked my car at the curb, and rushed into the building to her floor. I knocked and waited impatiently for her to answer.
When she opened the door, relief sang in my bones. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d been terrified that she’d been hurt, despite her texting me to give me a heads-up that everything was fine. They’d escaped Kyle, and the cops had gotten them out of the safe before they ran out of air.
Quinn kept her composure for a good ten seconds before she crumbled and covered her face with her hands. I stepped through the door and wrapped my arms around her, letting her cry into my shoulder. She didn’t hug me back. She just stood there sobbing and let me run my fingers through her hair.
Nancy emerged from down the hall, carrying two duffel bags. Her expression was grim, her face pale, and her movements slow.
They’d both been scared out of their minds last night.
And I was livid.
Nancy came over to us and put her bags down. “Do you have everything you need packed, Quinn?” she asked. Her voice was soft, and her eyes were sad. She looked at me and gave me a weak smile. “Hey, Rhys.”
“Hey, Nancy.”
Quinn nodded into my shoulder and then pulled away from me. She wiped her tears away with her middle fingers and sniffed. “Yeah. I have everything. Let’s get out of here.”
I picked up the bags and carried them down to the car. I put them in the trunk and the two women got in the back seat. Nobody said anything for the first fifteen minutes.
“Thanks for driving all the way back out here for us,” Nancy said eventually.
I met her eye in the rear-view mirror. “Don’t mention it.”
She glanced at Quinn, who was slumped sideways in h
er seat. Her sweater was balled up to form a pillow, and she had it tucked between her head and the door panel. Her eyes were closed.
Nancy sighed. “I’ve never seen her scared before,” she whispered. Her eyes were glassy.
I pulled over and twisted around to look at Nancy in the back. Quinn’s breathing was soft and slow. She was out cold. “Come sit up front. Let’s catch up.”
Nancy got out of the back seat and climbed in the passenger seat. Once she had her seatbelt on, I pulled back out into traffic, and we hit the road. Soon, we were on the interstate and heading for New York.
“I knew the safe was going to be rough on her,” I said after a couple minutes.
“She didn’t panic,” Nancy said.
“Good.”
“She was sick after, though.”
“Oh. I guess I can’t fault her for that.”
“We didn’t have a choice, Rhys. It was good thinking on your part. If you hadn’t suggested it, I don’t know what Kyle would have done if he got his hands on us. It would have been worse than being locked in a safe. Quinn knows that too. You just know how she is with tight spaces.”
“Yeah.”
Quinn had been claustrophobic for as long as I’d known her. She had some bad experiences as a kid with being bullied and having her sleeves tied so tightly around her body that she couldn’t move. It had led to panic, which led to her throwing up, which led to triggering memories. She was locked in her locker once in her first year of high school, and when Max discovered her banging away at the inside in near hysterics, he’d lost his mind and left me behind to get her out while he went after the kids who locked her in.
She’d been so panicked she could barely tell me her lock combination, and when she finally got out, she’d collapsed into me and clung to me for dear life until Max came back with split knuckles and messed up hair. Then she’d gone to him, and he took her home.
Telling her to lock herself in the safe hadn’t felt good at all.
I could feel Nancy’s eyes on me. I glanced over at her. “What is it?”
