Chapter 26 #2
Gia whispered soothing words into my ear. She ran her hands over my hair, letting her fingers pull just slightly, but not enough to tear it out.
Not how I wanted to tear it out.
But it helped keep the breakdown at bay.
“It’s alright. Mom and Dad are going to help you figure everything out, okay?” When I shook my head, she squeezed back. “Non-negotiable, babe. Dad’s already called the law firm.”
“Yes. Of course, we did.” Grace came up beside us, and I sniffled into Gia’s shirt before pulling back. “You don’t have to worry, sweetheart. We’ll get this mess sorted out.”
“Damn straight, we will,” Mr. V growled, fiercer than usual. “And we’ll go after those assholes at Camelot Court for all the hell they’ve put you through. It’s discrimination, at best. I’ll throw everything I can at them.”
I forced a watery smile, fighting back a fresh wave of tears, and then I shook my head. “Thank you, Mr. V. But I…” I met Gia’s concerned gaze and almost cracked. “I just want to go home right now. Can we go home?”
She nodded, then grimaced as she remembered something. “I forgot…we have company. They’re waiting for you outside.”
Relief filled my chest, even though I should’ve expected they’d come. Should’ve known.
“Dad threatened to have them arrested on sight.” She gauged my reaction and smiled. “I told him that wouldn’t be necessary. That they’d probably help him sue Max if that was the route you wanted to take, but he made them wait outside until we could see for ourselves what you wanted to do.”
I laughed despite myself, warmed by her dad’s protectiveness over me. Grateful that what he’d said—about showing up for me when my dad couldn’t be there—held true. I hadn’t doubted it, but there was something about witnessing it that felt different.
“Okay, let’s go let them off the hook.”
She swiped her thumbs under my eyes and cleared away traces of mascara before taking my hand.
We walked out the front doors. The setting sun glared in my eyes, too bright after the fluorescent lighting inside the police station.
Before I cleared the black spots from my vision, two sets of hands found me, and when the darkness faded, blue-gray and dark amber eyes met mine, shining with relief.
Mine filled with tears as I took in their worried faces, the lines of stress, their wrinkled clothing.
“We came as soon as we heard.”
“I don’t—” I stepped into where they both waited, letting them wrap their arms around me. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” Kingston asked as Landon said, “No, Quinn.”
I shook my head. His understanding only made me feel worse. “What if I just ruined my chance of winning by going with him? After what happened with Ben, I didn’t even question it. I just got in the car with him. And I may have ruined our chances of ending this for good.”
Neither of them responded, but they shared a look that choked me with guilt.
“God, he was right.” I scrubbed my face with my hands. “I was so hellbent on getting the truth. I didn’t care about anything else. I…” I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”
Kingston shook his head, taking my face in his hands. “No, love. We’re sorry. I didn’t mean to give you the impression you were right, we just—”
“Quinn, this isn’t your fault.”
I searched between them. “I need my phone.”
“I have it. Along with your other things in case you wanted to stay the night with Gia.”
He nodded to my bag sitting next to a black car and Mr. Vassilli’s SUV before digging into his pocket for my phone.
“Where’d you find it?”
“Camelot Court,” Landon said.
“Yes, it turned up after Max got back. We found it when everything settled.” His grim expression as he placed it in my hand made me nervous. “I would’ve brought it inside, but…”
I swiped open the screen, scanning the apps before I clicked into my photo album, finding it completely empty. My phone nearly fell out of my hand as my body shook. “Oh my god.”
Tears threatened to spill, but I squeezed my eyes shut and forced them back.
“I’m so sorry, love. I’m already looking into recovering the items, and we have your photo from your application, so we can still use that to get that charge dropped.”
Shaking my head, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that Max had stolen my file weeks ago. Resignation filled my chest, but wiping my phone had done so much more than lessen my chances at a clean record. The pictures—I couldn’t think about what he’d taken from me with that move.
I just wanted to get the hell out of there.
Expelling a deep breath, I said what had been on my mind inside the jail cell.
“Max has been playing both sides. Playing me. And it was fine if he was stuck. Not making his own choices or able to get free, but that’s not what this was.
” My hands shook. “He might be scared. He might want to protect me. But this? It was wrong. He played with me, my feelings—God, my future! Like I’m just a pawn on the board. ”
“Quinn, this move Max just made,” Landon chimed in, lifting my eyes to his, “it’s another thing Camelot Court has done to you. It could help you.”
I glanced at Kingston, who nodded. “Whether Max intended to be so useful, I’m not sure. But it does help. Once Mr. Vassilli mentioned throwing the book at Camelot Court, Landon and I thought about it. It may work in our favor, but I won’t know until I speak with my father.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Even if it helps me, there’s a better chance Max will be sorely disappointed his evil plan didn’t work out than anything else. Right now, that’s more believable.”
Sympathy was etched on both their expressions. Landon’s jaw twitched, and Kingston’s mouth opened and shut with whatever appeal he wanted to make, but I didn’t accept it.
“No, please don’t.” Tears pricked my eyes, and I scoffed at the irony while batting them away. “That either of you wants to jump in and defend him right now should make me so happy, but you can’t fix this for him. Or for me. Not right now. I just need…time. Time with Gia to clear my head.”
Kingston nodded, taking my free hand and squeezing. “Of course, love. Tomorrow is a free day of rest. You two spend the day together, and take the time you need. She can drop you off when you’re ready to come back on Sunday.”
My shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you.”
He thumbed my chin up to meet my gaze. “None of that. You take care of yourself tonight, and we will make sure the rest of this mess gets sorted out, alright?”
Landon nodded beside him, his eyes quietly assessing my face, my body, and my reactions.
I forced my jaw to relax and stepped closer to them for another hug. “Alright.”