Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Quinlan
T hat letter made me finally tell Jagger about how I was found. He told me that I shouldn’t be ashamed of what happened. That it wasn’t my fault. I explained to him that I’ve always felt less than because I was abandoned.
My parents will be here in two weeks. Jagger makes me look at life in a different way. Instead of wondering why my bio parents abandoned me, he tells me to think of it like this: I lost nothing when they left me. They lost everything. But I think there’s always going to be a part of me that feels abandoned.
“Hi Mom,” I say as I answer my phone.
“Hi, sweetheart. Your dad and I wanted to see if there’s anything you want us to bring.”
“Thank you, but no. I’m just really excited to see you and Dad.”
“We’re really excited to see you too. You let us know if you think of something you want.”
“Thank you, Mom. I will. Two weeks and I’ll get to hug you.”
“How are things going with Jagger?”
“It’s going great. I can’t wait for you to meet him and his family. You’re going to love them.”
“Your dad is so excited to meet Jagger’s dad,” Mom says as she laughs.
I can hear my dad in the background laughing too and it makes me start laughing too. They’re goofballs.
“They’re all really excited to meet all of you. I wish Devin, Scarlett, Henry and Lauren could come out here with you this time.”
“I know, baby. But we’re all planning on coming out for Christmas and New Year’s.”
“I’m looking forward to that too.”
I plan on apologizing to my parents when they get here. I’ve come to realize that I haven’t always treated them in the best way. As a teenager, I was angry. Angry that I was discarded and thrown away. I never really took the time to appreciate what my parents gave to me. They gave me a great life with love, security and a home. But my asshole teenage self couldn’t see it, so I ran away from them and came here to Chicago. All the years that I’ve been here, I never made them feel wanted in my life. I need to fix that. Because who knows where I would be if they hadn’t chosen me at the orphanage? And then when they adopted me, they gave me a real name. Quinlan Ann Mendonca. Before that? I was Marcy Smith. Not that growing up as Marcy would’ve been bad, it just didn’t come with a family.
“I hate to cut this short, Mom, but I have to get to class. I love you and Dad.”
“We love you too, honey. Study hard. And be safe.”
I smile as I hang up. Yeah, I definitely need to make things better with them. I feel a lot lighter after talking to my mom. Which is probably why I didn’t notice the woman that was following me until she was right next to me.
“Quinn?” I hear her say.
Jagger
Today I received another letter but this one had an amount and a deadline.
To: Jagger Peligue
We hope you?re ready to follow our instructions. Remember this one fact. We have information on your Quinn Mendonca and if you want to save her, you?ll do what we say.
You will give us five million dollars. If the bills are marked, we?ll know. So don?t try to be a hero and do something stupid. You have a week to get this money together. The next letter will tell you where and when the drop off will be.
These assholes must think I have money. Which I don?t. My parents have money, but me? I live off what I make playing our gigs and the commission we each make from the brewery. That pays my bills and allows me to live the way I do. My parents are always offering to help us, but none of us want to take their money. The only thing that they have helped us with is buying the home we live in. But my siblings and I pay the mortgage.
We live in a five-bedroom, six-bath home near Chicago that our parents bought for us to use. But we made the deal that we would pay the mortgage. None of us want our parents to be supporting us because of the career we’ve chosen.
I give Salvatore a call to let him know that I got another letter and to see if he’s found anything. It’s only been a week, but I’m hoping he’s found something.
Since Quinn is at school, I head to Sal’s precinct.
“Hi, I’m looking for Detective Salvatore Mancini,” I say to the front clerk.
“Give me a moment and I’ll page him to come up,” the Sargent says to me.
“Thank you.”
I take a seat to wait. The last time I talked to Sal, he said he was transferring to the new precinct that they are opening in Lake Renegade. It’s a town about two hours west of Chicago. His grandfather is one of the founders of the town. I love hearing the families talk about how Lake Renegade was founded. And how they’re going to add to it and make it the dream that their grandparents wanted for their legacy. Makes me want to be a part of it.
“Hey Jagger,” Sal says as he comes over to me. “Come back to my office. We can talk there.”
After we get settled, I hand him the newest letter.
“Thanks for all your help. I hate that I can’t protect Quinn from this crap. I feel so fucking helpless.”
“I know what you mean. But we all need help sometimes and this is what I’m here for.”
“Have you found anything?”
“We found a couple of fingerprints other than yours and we traced them. You’re not going to like this.”
I feel my stomach drop as Sal talks.
“It’s a couple of low level dipshits from the Portside Mafia. They’re based in Oregon and they’re bad people. I say ‘low level’ because the high level ones would never put their hands on a threat like that. They know it can be traced.”
“Well, fuck. Why would the mafia have information on Quinn? And why would they be blackmailing me? Don’t they have their own fucking money?”
Salvatore laughs. “From what I’ve learned, they’re not as influential as they used to be. In fact, most of them are dead. So I’m thinking that the remaining family members need money. Maybe they want to build up again and for some reason they’ve honed in on Quinn. What do her parents do?”
I want to tell Sal about Quinn’s past. But I feel like that’s something she needs to tell him herself.
“There’s some things in Quinn’s past that you should know. But she should probably tell you herself.”
Sal nods. “Let’s meet up tonight. I don’t want to let this sit. I was talking to my papà and my zios, and they said that mafia’s done some really bad things. I might ask them if we can have one of our guys guard Quinn when you’re not with her. I know you have a few guards now. But I would feel better if she had one too.”
If Sal wants a guard with my Quinn, this must be really bad.
“Okay. Quinn’s in school but I’ll be seeing her after. Where do you want to meet? You can come by my house if you want.”
“That sounds good. Do you have guards with you all the time?”
I shake my head no. “Only at gigs and brewery business.”
“I think you should probably have one with you at all times. The problem is, they’re naming you and Quinn specifically, and that worries me.”
“Whatever you suggest, we’ll do it. I’m worried about Quinn. Not me.”
“Well I’m worried about both of you. My papà is looking into that mafia, so we should know more soon.”
“Thank you.”
I write down my address and hand it to Sal.
“I’ll be by around seven if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine. We’ll order some dinner when you get there.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you then.”