15. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
Jacob
I let Quinn dress in some of the clothes I'd bought for Suzy. With a lot of grumbling and some carefully placed knots, she manages to cobble together something that looks like an outfit, though it drowns her. Suzy is on the tall side, with a curvy figure.
Quinn looks ridiculously cute in her badly fitting getup and growls at me when I tell her so. She doesn’t swear again, though. She’s learning.
We head to medical first. It’s a large section of the main admin building, stocked with equipment even the Mayo Clinic doesn’t have. Several top-level doctors are Brothers, and besides that, the Brotherhood keeps a full medical support staff on site at all times.
They take Quinn’s blood, a urine sample, and a couple of swabs and run it all through analysis right then and there. The doctor smiles when he pronounces her free of all communicable diseases.
Placing the tracker is a quick process—an injection to the back of the neck. I don’t tell Quinn what’s happening, just that it’s another test. With Suzy, I’d wanted to make a ritual out of it, but it’s too soon for that with Quinn, whose temperament makes it an important safety measure.
Plus, it might be fun to let her run again just so I can catch her.
The doctor nods once the process is complete. “I’ve requested her full medical history, too. I’ll forward it to your phone as soon as it arrives.”
Quinn is unusually quiet through the whole process and takes a deep, relieved breath as soon as we’re back in the open air. “What’s the matter? Don’t like needles?”
She smiles, but there’s a brittle quality to it that sets a red flag waving. “Something like that.”
There’s a story here. I try to get it out of her, but she stonewalls me, and I don’t feel like arguing with her. I already owe her a punishment and want to limit her chances to earn more for now. I’ll get the truth soon enough.
I want to do something Quinn might actually enjoy. I don’t know the girl, and I need to. The reality of how entwined our lives will be is sinking in, and it’s a fucking bizarre feeling. As if I went on a stag weekend in Vegas and woke up married to some bird I just met.
I don’t know what she drinks on a night out, what movies she enjoys, what sort of things she does for fun. I’m not much of a talker, but I have to find out somehow.
I take her hand in mine as we approach the part of the Compound dedicated to entertainment. Up till now, I haven’t bothered with it much. Compared to most Brothers, I spend a lot of my time in the outside world. The weird, village-like feel of the Compound creeps me out. But I can’t take Quinn outside, so I’m stuck with it.
One section is designed to look like a high street. A lot of it is aimed at the Wards. There’s a hairdresser, a beautician, and even one of those places where they inject your face with Botox. A tiny jewelry store and a bunch of other artsy shops selling trinkets add to the cutesy, holiday town feel.
Cobblestones run down the middle of the street, all old school and quaint. Park benches. Shrubbery. Even a post office, so people can post Christmas cards and the like.
Quinn stares at it all, and I can’t tell if she’s impressed or horrified until she mutters, “What the fuck? This is like a movie set pretending to be real life. It’s creepy.”
“You’re right. It is fucking creepy. Seb and Gabriel think I’m an idiot for saying that, but you get it. I knew you were smart.”
She shakes her head. “I’m definitely not smart. I just watch a lot of horror movies.”
“Oh, you like horror?” I steer her toward the shop we need. “What’s your favorite?”
“ Nightmare on Elm Street .” Not a moment’s hesitation. “I watched it when I was eight and almost peed my pants. I had to sleep with my…” Again, that hesitation. “...with my foster mom for a week. She almost killed my sister for showing it to me.”
“And that fun experience made it your favorite horror?”
“Yep. Nothing ever scared me quite that much again. I kept chasing the high but could never find it.”
Interesting.
“So you were raised in foster care? My grandad raised me. Mum was a druggie and lost custody when I was four.” I offer her the nugget of information about myself, hoping it’ll encourage her to open up.
She lowers her gaze and keeps walking. “My real mom was fourteen when she had me. Tried her best, apparently, but gave me up when I was one. I went to my foster family at two and stayed with them.”
It sounds like a pretty good outcome, but her flat voice gives a different impression. “Did you ever look for your mum?”
She shakes her head. “What would be the point?”
I don’t press her any further.
We reach the shop. It's a clothing store run by one of the Wards who was a fashion buyer in her previous life. Eve is friends with her and suggested it to me when I asked for help getting ready for Suzy’s arrival. I'll have to donate all the clothes I'll have no use for now.
“A clothes shop?” Quinn radiates skepticism. “I don't get it. Why do you bother with all this stuff to keep your sex slaves happy?”
She makes a point of referring to herself like that as often as possible, and I can't pretend I don't like it. It turns me on more than it should. Why Quinn keeps saying it, though, is a mystery. Maybe it takes the sting out of reality if she keeps repeating it.
“Happy sex slaves work harder.”
She pulls a face. “Gross.”
I shrug and push the door open. A bell rings, and a woman comes running out from the back with a big smile on her face. She's young and chubby, with masses of curly black hair, a tight black dress, and lots of silver jewelry.
The shop is small, but every inch of space is packed with clothing. It ranges from posh old-lady clothes to funky stuff I'd imagine Quinn might like. I suppose she wants to cater for everyone.
I don't have a clue about brands, but Eve tells me some of the stuff in here is designer and would cost thousands in the outside world. Not that cost means anything in the Compound.
“Hello!” The woman grins at Quinn, who takes a small step backward. “Are you new here? I'm Annie.”
“Um. Yep. Freshly kidnapped.”
Annie’s smile drops, and she glances at me. I step forward before Quinn can scare her off. “She got here yesterday. Bit unexpected, so we need some clothes.”
“Oh. Oh!” Recognition lands on her face. “You're the wrong girl. Uh, I mean. Sorry. The story got around quick.”
“The wrong girl.” Quinn’s sullen demeanor breaks, the corner of her lip quirking up. “If that doesn’t sum up my fucking life, I don’t know what does.”
Annie laughs, comes over, and whispers in her ear, loud enough for me to listen in. “Let’s get you out of that ridiculous outfit and into something nice. Then we can talk. What sort of clothes do you like?”
“Dresses and skirts only,” I cut in. Both women stare at me, their outraged expressions so similar I have to hold back a laugh. Quinn squares up to me, hands on her hips.
“Why? I like shorts. And jeans.”
“Because you’re a brat, and when I need to spank you, I don’t want to waste time with buttons.”
Quinn’s mouth drops, and Annie covers hers with her hand. Whether in laughter or shock, I’m not sure. Quinn’s pale cheeks get that pretty tinge of pink. I wave my hand at her. “Go on. Find some things you like.”
Quinn’s jaw works. Annie seems to sense the danger and grabs her arm. “I’ve got lots of cute things to show you. Come on.”
She steers her further into the store as my mobile rings. I grab it, not recognizing the number. “Hello?”
“Jacob West?”
“Yep.”
“Lionel Baskins here. I run the Future Leaders in Biotech conference. We have you down as attending tomorrow.”
I frown. I’d booked a spot, as I always do, to attend, but canceled when I realized the conference clashed with Suzy’s planned arrival. Hadn’t I? I’d asked my assistant to give my apologies. Maybe it slipped his mind.
“I was supposed to, but I’m afraid something has come up. I won’t make it.”
A long pause.
“Oh. That would be very unfortunate. I’m calling to beg a huge favor of you. Our keynote speaker, Greg Jenkins, has suffered an accident and won’t be able to present. I’ve seen how you captivate and inspire students. Many of them are traveling across the country for the event, and there are plenty of international visitors. I’d be honored if you’d step in and do the keynote presentation tomorrow.”
Shit. The Future Leaders event is close to my heart. When I left the specials and started my formal education at Cambridge, I received an invitation to attend along with a bursary funding the flights. The trip cemented my plans to pursue biotech as a career.
Ordinarily, I’d have bitten Lionel's arm off for the chance to present, and as an added bonus, this year’s conference is only an hour away by chopper. I could be in and out in four hours flat, but the timing couldn’t be worse.
A giggle catches my attention. Annie holds up a top, and Quinn shakes her head, laughing. She looks relaxed until she catches me watching and stiffens up, turning away.
I force my attention back to the phone. “I’ll give you an answer in an hour. I appreciate the opportunity.”
“You’d be saving my life. Really, Jacob. I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t accept.”
“I’ll call as soon as I can.”
I end the call. As I churn through potential options, the girls approach. Annie speaks respectfully. “Sir, tomorrow evening—”
Quinn cuts her off. “Annie is having a girls’ night tomorrow, and I want to go.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Girls’ night. I don’t think so.”
Quinn pouts. “Why not?”
“It’s much too soon.”
“It’s not. And it’s just girls having drinks, not a three-day coke bender.”
Annie puts a hand on Quinn’s arm. “If I may. It’s just a few of the younger Wards meeting at my place. My Patron is away for a couple of days. We’ll have some food and a few drinks, that’s all. And Eve is coming—you work with her, sir, I think?”
Smart and diplomatic, this one. But Quinn’s face has dropped. “Oh, I don’t think I should be around Eve. I’m sure she won’t want me there. And I know he won’t.”
Annie’s forehead creases, and she glances at me before returning to Quinn. “You mean Gabriel? I don’t see why he’d mind.”
Quinn wraps her arms around herself. “He will after what I did.”
Annie stares. “What did you do? You’ve only been here a day!”
“Smacked her in the head with a toaster. I thought it was someone else.” She turns to me as Annie gasps. “I’d never have done that to her on purpose.”
She gazes at her feet, and her voice shrinks. "I really am sorry. I want to apologize to Eve, but I—I don't know what to say. And he won't let me near her even if I did.”
Shit. Her guilt touches something in my chest. She deserves the chance to make things up with Eve, and I want to see the happy version of her I caught a glimpse of. Maybe tomorrow can work out well for both of us, after all.
I give a theatrical sigh and shake my head. “I must be stupid. You can go. And don’t worry about Gabriel. I’ll handle him.”
Quinn draws in a breath, staring at me. Then a smile spreads across her face, and she shrieks and high-fives Annie. “I’ll bring the tequila!”
“No, you won’t. And Quinn,” She spins back to me, still smiling. I could get used to that expression. “Best behavior. I mean absolute perfection between now and then, or you’ll spend the evening in your cage instead.”