Chapter 30 #2
The hair on my scalp tries to stand up. It would mean jobs, factories, hotels, restaurants... It would completely resurrect Weston.
And everyone seems to understand the same thing, because no one speaks as we imagine the possibilities.
Lucas holds my hand on the drive back to my house, the convoy behind us splitting off and returning to the Falls, everyone sworn to secrecy.
Helping me out of the car, he doesn’t let go, looking around at the people on Knock Hill, who are drinking on porches, and we both take notice of another damn party coming from Farrow’s place. He must be back already.
Young men tip their chins at Lucas, but he pulls me inside as quickly as possible.
Locking the door, he brings up the app and loads all of the cameras on his phone, but I leave the lights off and hold him.
Dragging my mouth up his neck and grazing his jaw, I exhale hard. I’m so glad he’s safe.
He threads his fingers through the back of my hair, fisting them as he hovers over my mouth. “I need to call your father tomorrow. And talk to your brothers.”
“I know.” I nod, dying for a kiss. “Can you take Noah and Farrow with you? And my nieces and nephews? Jared and Jax have the strength of three men each when they’re ready to kill someone, and Madoc could be armed.”
He almost laughs. “I’ll face them like a damned grown-up, otherwise I don’t deserve you.”
Sliding my hands up his shirt, I whisper, “I don’t want to talk about them tonight.”
I just want to curl up into him and catch my breath.
I turn and take his hand, pulling him toward the stairs, but he yanks me back.
I laugh, crashing back into his chest, but just then, a silver chain collar appears, dangling in front of my face. My mouth falls open. Did he have that on him?
“Ready for number seven?” He hooks it around my neck, the long leash cold against my back.
I close my eyes, moaning as he tugs a little and presses his cock into my ass. “Yes,” I breathe out.
“What’s number seven?”
I pop my eyes open. My spine stiffening, I feel Lucas do the same behind me at the sound of the stern voice.
Madoc strolls around the corner from the kitchen, Jared and Jax following as they cross the living room and enter the foyer with us.
Lucas unhooks the chain and steps in front of me. “Madoc.”
I peer around him, seeing Jared’s fists balled at his side, his eyes on fire.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt out.
Madoc growls at me, “We’re not ready to talk to you yet because you’re just going to double-down.” Then he steps toe-to-toe with Lucas. “You know why? Because she’s twenty-one years old. She’s a kid.”
I push around Lucas. “I’m not a kid!”
“He can speak for himself!” Madoc turns red.
I suck in a breath, Madoc’s howl something I’ve never really heard before.
“If he dares,” Madoc bites out.
I dart my eyes to Lucas, seeing the pain on his face. The pinch between his brows and the…shame in the way he looks down for a moment. He would rather die than have Madoc hate him. How can my brother talk to him like that? My chin trembles.
“Was this your idea?” Madoc charges, glaring at him. “A place of her own where you could seduce her away from her family?”
“Oh, come on, man,” Lucas explains. “It’s not like that.”
“I’ll tell you what it is like.” Madoc is almost spitting out his words. “She idolized you. Idolized an idea of you so much that she never entertained anyone else. She was in love with a dream!”
I can’t help it. The tears spill. If he gets in Lucas’s head…
Madoc continues, “And she’s going to give her life to you until you realize she’s too young and too devoted to someone who’s a figment of her imagination. All because you were horny.”
“I would never use Quinn like that!”
“You left for eight fucking years because this place wasn’t good enough for you!” Madoc rails. “What’s changed?”
Lucas’s tone turns solemn. “That’s not why I left.”
But my brothers aren’t listening. “I never thought you’d do something like this. You’re gonna hurt her,” Madoc tells him, “because you have nothing in common with someone just beginning their life.”
Lucas falls silent, and I look at him, waiting for him to fight back. Nausea racks my body.
He’s not going to hurt me. Lucas knows that. He’s not going to leave me.
I frown at Madoc. “Don’t talk to him like that.”
But my brother doesn’t even know I’m here anymore. He tells Lucas, “I have no fucking clue who you are anymore. I’m at a loss.”
Pain hits Lucas’s eyes, and I’m about to kick them out. Call Farrow and have him get them out of here, I don’t know.
But Lucas turns his gaze on me, and I have to hold back the sob in my throat as a crushing feeling hits me. That he thinks there’s no way out of this, and Madoc will hate him forever, and everything is ruined.
A knock lands on the front door, and it takes a moment for anyone to move. Jax finally goes over and opens it.
“Is Lucas Morrow here?” a hard voice asks.
We look over, seeing Shelburne Falls police officers standing on my porch. People loiter in the street below, watching.
Jax looks back at us, and the first cop walks in, addressing Lucas. “Mr. Morrow, you’re under arrest for the murder of David Miller.” Both cops approach. “You need to come with us.”
The first one—I think his name is Jesse Stevens—pulls out handcuffs.
I shake my head. “No.”
Madoc’s eyes shift from anger to confusion. “What the hell’s going on?” he barks.
A fist tightens around my lungs as the officer places Lucas’s arms behind his back and fits the cuffs on his wrists.
“You have the right to remain silent…” the officer reads him his rights as commotion immediately ensues outside.
People start yelling for Farrow, and my brothers move, looking like they’re not sure if they need to stop this or get on their phones.
“Quinn?” Madoc looks to me, his eyes suddenly filled with worry and fear.
“Sir, please step aside,” Stevens tells his mayor as he walks Lucas out.
“Lucas!” I call as he’s ripped from my arms.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jared blusters as Jax jumps on his phone.
I run down the steps after Lucas, but he glances back at Madoc. “Take her home.” He gestures to me. “It’s not safe here.”
I shake my head. Like hell. I’m not going anywhere with my brothers after what they just did.
“Hey, leave him alone!” someone calls out.
They lead Lucas to their police car.
“He didn’t do it,” someone else shouts. “I did it.”
“Nah, it was me!” another voice chimes in.
The officers stop, looking around at the Rebel crowd.
“Anyone else we need to bring in while we’re here?” they ask Lucas.
But he just shakes his head. “No.”
Farrow runs up, but a cop holds out his hand, pointing a finger in his face as a warning.
“Quinn won’t go with Madoc,” Lucas tells him. “Stay close.”
“Don’t worry about anything,” Farrow tells him.
Lucas stops at the open door of the cop car. Tall with his chin up, he peers back at Madoc.
Then, he looks at me.
I love you, he mouths.
And then he disappears into the car, gone in seconds.