Chapter 20 #2
Quinn pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Teagan.
I’m so sorry. I tried to hide him in the dumpster, hoping it’d keep him safe while he was unconscious.
Travis was busy looking through the cages to see if there was anything he could use to tie you up.
I thought Ahmed deserved a chance—a chance Amber and David weren’t afforded. ”
I pull away and wipe at a tear, resolving to let that be the last one I shed until we get out of here.
“We can mourn him once we get out of this mess we’re in.
I just wish I knew where Travis found that bow and arrow.
I feel like this game is rigged. Pierce is obviously playing with us all.
I just don’t understand why he’s singled me out. ”
Quinn tenses, then nervously runs his hands through his dark hair, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Ahh, I know how he found the bow,” he tells me as he plays with Paws, who has gotten herself free of the bag and is swatting at Quinn’s fingers on the aged quilt covering the bed.
“When we were heading toward Windermere, we stumbled upon a bunch of tents.”
“The tan ones in the clearing? All facing each other?” I interrupt him, sitting on the bed next to him.
He gives me a questioning look before continuing. “Yeah. Did you find them too?”
I nod, twisting my fingers in my lap as I remember my own gruesome discovery. “Did they have dead people inside of them when you found them?”
“Dead people? No…” Quinn knits his eyebrows together as he looks up at me. “We didn’t even think to look inside. Travis saw the bow and the quiver of arrows sitting against the fire pit, and we ran as soon as he grabbed them. I wasn’t about to sit around waiting to get shot like Amber.”
I close my eyes as I remember all the death I’ve seen today, swallowing hard against the knot forming in my throat. Travis must have finished the trail of arrows on his walk back to the lighthouse after attacking Quinn.
“I’m so sorry for everything you’ve gone through today, Teagan,” Quinn says as he closes the distance between us. Paws hops off the bed and squeezes herself back into the duffel bag sitting on the floor at our feet. She seems to feel safer there, the same way I feel safer with Quinn by my side.
Lying my head on Quinn’s broad shoulder, I look down at my hands, still covered in so much blood and grime. “It’s not your fault, Quinn. You didn’t bring me here. You aren’t the one putting us through this nightmare.”
Quinn kisses the top of my head softly. I close my eyes for the first time in what feels like days.
It’s the first time I’ve felt safe enough to lower my guard.
“If you had been killed today, I never would have forgiven myself.” He sucks in a sharp breath before continuing, “Because it is partially my fault you’re in this mess. ”
My eyes fly open as I jerk away from him, stumbling off the bed like it’s made of those same burning coals I found in the fire pit. “What? What do you mean by that?”
His expression is full of self-loathing, pain, and regret. “Atlas…Mr. Pierce…is my oldest brother.”
My mouth drops open. I stumble away from him, going as far as I can in this tiny cottage. “No, no, no,” I gasp, my back hitting the oven in the corner of the room.
His brother? I stare at Quinn and take in his features—the dark hair, the high cheekbones, those same stormy blue eyes.
I saw them all on Pierce, too. How can I be this stupid not to put two and two together?
No wonder Quinn’s been trying to keep me alive.
They must have some sick finale waiting for me.
Quinn stands and takes a step toward me. “Wait, let me explain before you jump to conclusions. I’m just as much a pawn in this game as you are, I swear,” he pleads, inching closer to me.
“How can you stand there and expect me to believe anything that comes out of your mouth?” I reach behind me, grasping for something to defend myself with when he takes another step closer, cursing myself that I left my machete on the floor near the only exit.
My fingers wrap around a metal pan, and I swing it at him without a second thought, colliding with the side of his head. Quinn hits the floor with a loud thunk just as the cottage door bursts open.
Henry and two other men step inside.
“Tsk, tsk, Ms. Teagan. We had higher hopes for you. Mr. Pierce won’t be pleased to know that you broke the rules,” Henry chastises, then snaps his fingers. One of his henchmen lunges forward and grabs me, dragging me out just as Quinn starts to stir.
“No! What are you talking about? I followed his rules!” I yell, fighting against the man holding me. “I followed the rules!”
Henry smiles. “You were supposed to be the only survivor. A true final girl. But would a final girl fall for the villain? I don’t think so, Ms. Teagan.”
“You have to let my friends go! They didn’t do anything wrong!”
Quinn tries to sit up, but his head is bleeding again. “Teagan…” he groans.
Henry strides over to Quinn and kicks him in the face. “Down, you filthy dog. Your master won’t be pleased to know that you broke his rules either. And when she dies, you’ll only have yourself to blame!”
Something sharp pinches the side of my neck as I try to decipher the meaning of Henry’s words.
Then everything fades to black.