by Mary Martel
She switched tactics immediately. In the blink of an eye she went from high screeching to low pleading.
“Quint,” she whined, “you don’t really mean that.”
“Get out,” he snapped at her in a harsh voice.
I had a feeling Ms. Prissy Pants had never seen the real Quinton come out to play before. She was in for a real treat.
“I’m not leaving until I get what I paid for,” the lady whined as she stomped her foot angrily, like a naughty child.
My lip curled in disgust as I watched a grown woman get ready to throw down a massive temper tantrum.
She stomped her foot a second time. With her hands on her hips she leaned forward and hissed at Quinton, “You owe me a reading. I already paid for one and I’m getting what I paid for. I’ve been coming to you amateurs for months now. Months! And you’ve yet to really give me what I’ve paid for. If you aren’t going to give me what I want then I demand a refund! I want it all back, every cent I have spent here.” She stomped her foot several more times, and screamed, “I want it and I want it now.”
In the silence that followed her screaming came an unexpected sound. A pathetic sounding meow from a cat.
Nobody had said anything about there being a cat.
Another pathetic sounding meow came as a dainty little black cat strutted into the room, coming from the kitchen. He was adorable!
“Oh my god,” I squealed and clapped my hands gleefully, forgetting the drama going on around me and focusing solely on the cat. “What a pretty little kitty cat.”
I had always thought it would be awesome to have a cat. They napped a lot, purred when you petted them, liked to laze about in the sunshine, had serious attituded problems and a superiority complex. They were adorable little creatures and this one was cuter than most. He was mostly black with a little splash of white on one of his front paws.
I walked towards him, ready to pet him, not caring in the least if he turned out to be a feral little beast and snapped at me, showing me his claws and teeth.
Two steps in on my journey across the room and I came to jarring halt as an open palm slammed into my cheek. My head jerked to the side as pain exploded in my cheek.
I blinked in shock as I cradled my injured cheek with both hands. Someone had struck me, slapped me across the face.
“You stupid bitch,” I heard Quinton growl before a feminine voice cried out in pain.
I couldn’t bring myself to care about what he did to her to make her cry out like that. The days where I allowed someone else to hurt me were over and I was glad for Quinton’s interference because I honestly had no idea how to respond to what she’d done to me.
She cried out again and I heard sounds of a struggle. I looked up in time to see Quinton had her in a headlock with his arm around her throat. She was spewing out profanities and clawing at his arms as he dragged her out of the room.
I closed my eyes as my shoulders slumped forward.
I was more than ready to go home.
Note to self, don’t ever get in the car with Quinton unless you know your destination and the purpose of the trip ahead of time.
This was all his fault.
What an A-hole.
Chapter Sixteen
Something soft brushed against my ankle, making me jump. I opened my eyes to see the dainty black cat rubbing up against my ankle. He weaved in between my legs, rubbing up against the other ankle.
Bright green eyes blinked up at me adoringly as he started to purr.
“Pretty boy,” I cooed as I lowered my hand from my stinging face.
I squatted down, brining myself closer to the little beast. His bright eyes watched me with an intelligence no animal I’d met before possessed. I rubbed my hand over his soft fur, scratching behind his ears and making him purr louder.
“He likes you,” Dash said quietly from behind me. I didn’t jump or flinch at his sudden appearance.
“He’s a cute kitty.”
A zip lock bag filled with ice cubes appeared in front of my face. I took it from him with a mumbled thanks and pressed it to my cheek. The cold made me flinch, but I didn’t pull it away. I didn’t want a swollen cheek for the rest of the day or all of tomorrow.
“He hates Abel and Addison.” He shared with me. “I don’t know why but when those two come over he goes into hiding. He doesn’t like Damien, either. He doesn’t hide when Damien comes over though, instead he comes out and makes a point to hiss at him.”
I would have said the adorable little cat probably didn’t like people who sucked but the Salt and Pepper twins didn’t suck. However, Damien did.
“What’s his name?” I asked as I continued to scratch the cat behind the ears.
“Binx.”
I paused in petting his cat so I could tilt my head back and look up at him.
“Like the cat from Hocus Pocus?” I asked in a surprised voice. When he nodded I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped me. “You named your cat after a cat in a witch movie.”
“It’s a Halloween movie, actually,” he replied. “And that cat kicked ass.”
I agreed with him a hundred percent. It was still kind of funny.
“She should never have touched you,” he cursed under his breath. “If she wasn’t such a bitch, I might feel sorry for her.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned him. She didn’t get her cards read and Quinton had wrestled her out the front door and that had been that. Right? That didn’t sound like something to feel sorry for her over, she’d had that coming.
Dash looked at me oddly, like he’d never seen me before.
“I like this,” he blurted.
I tilted my head to the side and frowned. “Like what?” I asked in confusion.
“This,” he declared as he waved his hand towards my body, making me catch my breath. “How sweet and innocent you are. I haven’t had a lot of sweet and innocent in my life. I’m thinking my luck has finally changed and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
I gaped at him.
He liked me?
Dash? Dash Flynn liked me?
Could this day get any weirder?
Answer: yes. Always. I should never ask that question. You would think I’d know better by now.
Binx rubbed his head against my still hand, demanding my attention once more. I gave his head a little pat and stood up.
Dash hovered over me, too close for comfort. I took a step back. He took a step forward, invading my space.
“Do you like it here, in my home?” He demanded to know.
I took another step back and cleared my throat. “Yes,” I answered him honestly in a thick voice.
What was going on here?
I took another step backwards, hit wall and all the air left my lungs in a rush. This was fast becoming a familiar situation for me and I wasn’t sure I liked it all that much.
If he kissed me right now we were going to have a serious problem.
“Let’s go,” Quinton barked harshly from the doorway. He shot Dash a dirty look and crossed his arms over his chest. “What the fuck are you doing?” He growled at Dash.
For once, Quint and I were on the same page, it was definitely time to go.
I stepped to the side and further away from Dash before quickly scurrying to Quinton’s side.
I pulled the bag of ice away from my face and tossed it in the direction of the dining room table. It landed on top with a clatter and slid a foot before coming to a complete stop.
I waved lamely at Dash and knew my poor abused face was flaming red.
“Thanks for, um, hanging out with me today,” I babbled awkwardly.
“See,” he teased, “sweet.”
“She hit me in the head with a fucking rock,” Quinton grumbled. “That’s not very sweet, if you ask me.”
No one was asking him anything.
“Time to go,” I groaned. We were not talking about the thing with the rock. I still felt a little bad about that one.
“Jesus,�
� Quinton grumbled. “What is it with you? There’s never a dull moment when you’re around.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t going to do this with him, not in front of Dash. When he wasn’t speaking, Quinton and I got along so well. When he opened his mouth, that’s when things started to go south for us.
“I’ll meet you in the car,” I told him as I turned and stormed out of the room.
How long did he plan on throwing that rock incident in my face? Probably for forever.
I walked out the door and headed straight for Quinton’s black car. His car surprised me. I could see him behind the wheel of some black muscle car or a sleek Mercedes like what Mr. Cole drives. In comparison to those cars, Quinton’s car looked normal, boring even, something a regular, every day person would drive. It didn’t suit him at all. Maybe that’s why he drove it, because it fit in and didn’t draw attention in the least.
The locks beeped before I made it around to the passenger side and I knew he had followed close behind me. Good. I wasn’t in the mood to sit out in the car like a child and wait for him to come out so he could drive me home.
This time, he didn’t bother walking around the car to try and open my door for me.
As soon as he had the car started and rolling down the driveway, I started in on him with my questions.
“What did the Council want?” I demanded to know. I kept right on firing them out at him one after the other, not giving him a chance to respond just yet. I knew if I let him open his mouth he wouldn’t let me get another word out and the conversation would go on to be a one-sided affair after that. “You weren’t gone for very long. Did you even see them? Why were they at my house? How many of them were there? What’s going on, Quinton? I have a right to know and you have no business keeping things like this from me. It’s not right and it will make me angry.”
I crossed my arms over my stomach as I rested my forehead against the cool glass window. The trees blurred as we sped past them.
Fabric rustled, and I assumed he was moving around in his seat. I was too tired to turn and look so I could see what he was doing. It had been a long day and when I got back to Mr. Cole’s house I was going straight to bed. It wasn’t just today; this week had been utterly exhausting. Hell, this entire month had done me in.
Quinton placed his hand on my thigh and gently squeezed.
“They weren’t here because of you,” he said in a tight voice. “They came because they are concerned about Marcus, so they reached out to him. He turned them away at the door. I don’t know what’s going on with Marcus, but I feel like it’s got more to do with than just your mother and his brother dying. They seemed very concerned about him.”
My breath fogged the window, but I was far too tired and lazy to reach up and wipe it away. I wasn’t really paying attention to the landscape anyways, the trees all looked the same to me.
I thought about what Quinton had just told me. Did the Council really, honestly, have reason to be concerned about Mr. Cole? Right after his brother had died, I might have said yes. But now? No, no I did not understand the Council’s concern. To me, he seemed to be doing remarkably well for someone who’d recently lost his brother, thought his lover had run out on him and been left with the sole responsibility of a teenager. He always seemed so calm, so collected. Then again, I now knew what I knew about his sister and that was a bit of a game changer.
Quinton pulled into the driveway to Mr. Cole’s house. Both of us had been quiet for a few minutes now. Not an awkward silence. It was more him being quiet and giving me time to digest what he had told me. I appreciated his silence more than he would ever know.
I liked this side to Quinton. I liked most sides to Quinton. Not that I would admit that out loud to him or anyone else.
I unbuckled my seat belt and reached for the door handle.
“Babe,” he called quietly.
I looked to him in question and was surprised at what I saw. He looked angry. No, he looked enraged.
What the?
“What’s wrong?”
His eyes darted to Mr. Cole’s house then immediately came back to me. They were now guarded, he’d put his wall back up, hiding his emotions from me.
“Nothing,” he muttered quietly. Then, louder, he asked. “What are your plans for the night?”
What? Change of subject much?
“I’m going to go to bed,” I told him honestly.
Like I had energy for anything else. Please.
“Good,” he said. Then he demanded, “Now give me a kiss before you get out of my car.”
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed.
Please.
If he wanted a kiss, he could kiss my ass.
I did not think so.
I opened the door and slid my right foot out, placing it on the cement driveway.
“I will see you later, Quinton,” I told him as I climbed out of his car.
Kiss him, he’d said. Like I was at his beck and call. What an asshole.
He put his tongue in my mouth once, and the only way he’d pulled it off is because he’d surprised me. That did not mean we would be doing it on a regular basis.
I walked into the house without a backwards glance. If I looked back at him he might think I didn’t want him to leave me and I could really use some time to myself at the moment. I know that sounded absurd because I had had a whole month to myself, but I really needed to catch my breath.
The beeping of the alarm greeted me inside the house and I moved quickly to silence it.
“Ariel,” Mr. Cole called from the kitchen. “Is that you?”
“Yeah,” I shouted back.
“Come here for a second.”
I froze, not wanting to go there. He meant the world to me, but I wasn’t sure what to think in regards to him anymore. Too much had happened, and I hadn’t had enough time to process it yet.
I walked into the kitchen and stopped short. He stood with a hip against the counter in gray draw string pants and a black short-sleeved t-shirt. His hair was messy, as if he’d been pulling at it excessively. There was stubble along his jaw and he had dark circles under his eyes.
My heart clenched painfully at the sight of him. Was it my fault that he looked so bad? Had he not been sleeping?
“What’s wrong?” I asked in a flat voice.
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart.” He assured me. “I wanted to let you know that I have to go out of town for business tomorrow and I will be gone overnight. Perhaps you could have one of the Alexander’s stay over here with you? I would rather you not stay here alone. If that’s okay with you?”
I nodded, I would figure something ou,t so I didn’t have to be alone in the house overnight.
He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked to his feet.
“Have you eaten yet?” He asked in a quiet voice.
“Yeah,” I lied. “I’m tired. I’m just going to go to bed, if that’s okay with you.”
“Night, sweetheart.”
After a mumbled “Night” in response, I started to leave the room. Before I hit the hallway, I paused.
“Marcus,” I called over my shoulder. His head snapped up and his tired eyes focused on me. “Please be careful on your trip.”
Warmth and surprise lit up his eyes and he might have said something, but I left the room before he could.
I couldn’t do it.
I was all done with emotional bullshit for one day. I could take no more.
Chapter Seventeen
Quinton Alexander
I backed out of Ariel’s driveway probably too fast and completely furious. My fingers were wrapped around the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles were starting to turn white, if it hurt I was far too numb to notice.
After reversing out of the driveway my car shot forward, faster than I had reversed out of the driveway.
The house was light from the inside, letting me know Ty and the twins were safe and at home, probably conspiring against me. Lately, they had been making compla
ints about having to go to school. If Ariel was not going to attend public school, then they didn’t think they should be forced to attend either. I agreed with them. I hadn’t gone to school a day in my life and I had turned out just fine. However, I wasn’t about to tell those three idiots that. They had started arguing with me about it and every day they would come up with a new reason they shouldn’t have to go, and they proposed it to me. The whole ordeal amused me greatly because I was not the person who made them go to school in the first place. Tyson had started going after his parents died and I think he went to get away from me and our mutual grief. The twins went because Tyson did, and they had been curious about what it would be like. None of it had anything to do with me and they could quit at any time they wanted to.
I floored it, cruising past the house and headed into town.
I picked my phone up out of the cup holder and swiped my finger across the screen without taking my eyes off of the road. The screen lit up and I glanced down. I hit contacts and glanced back at the road. Using my thumb, I scrolled through the names. When I got to the J’s, I clicked on Julian’s name and put it on speaker.
He answered on the third ring.
“Yeah?” Julian said in greeting.
“I’m coming to get you,” I announced. “And I will be there in less than five.”
“I figured as much,” he grumbled. “Dash called, and he filled us in. Damien’s coming too.”
I grunted, not liking our third wheel. I hadn’t talked to Damien or seen him in weeks. Not since we had words about the way he talked about our girl.
And now he wanted to tag along?
I was immediately suspicious.
“He feels like shit, Quint,” Julian snapped at me. “Give him a break.”
I looked down at my phone, double checking to make sure I had called Julian and not someone else. Sure enough, I had the right number. He never snapped at me. He was always the calm one and I was the one who snapped at people.
“What gives, man?” I asked.
“Just get here,” he ordered before hanging up on me, making both my eyebrows go up in surprise.
