Chapter 17
Keith
Keeping one arm wrapped around her tiny body, I guided Quinn back towards the fun house. Such a disaster. What was she doing at the park? I was sure we hadn’t been followed. Instead of interrogating her at that moment, we would get her settled in until we could figure out what to do. I didn’t want to kill her; I actually liked the chick. But I was having difficulty thinking of a way out of the situation. How in the fuck were we supposed to ask Quinn to keep her mouth shut?
I forced her into the old animal enclosure. It was meant to contain our victims until we could do them in, but it would work to hold her. Zane attached a chain around her ankle. It was long enough for her to walk a little but short enough to keep her away from the door. She cried and begged, pulling at my heartstrings. Why the fuck did she have to come to the park, of all places?
I looked at the body on the table, deciding it may be a good idea to keep it where Quinn could see it. If the reality of what she found sank in, keeping her in line would be easier. The guys followed me outside, and Taven gripped his locs tightly in stress. “What the fuck are we going to do?” He looked me directly in the eye and held out his hand. “Give me the gun. I know you like her, so I won’t make you do it. Give me the gun, and I’ll end this.”
Shoving the pistol in my pocket, I took a step towards him. “Calm down, Tav. We aren’t going to kill her.” Both men stared at me like I had grown a second head.
“What are we supposed to do with her?” Taven was in a damn near full-blown panic attack. Part of me acknowledged he was right; Quinn would have to be dealt with. But my lover would never forgive himself if he hurt her. Taven talked frequently about telling Quinn the truth about us and seeing if she would be our third.
I ran my fingers gently along his jawline and gave him a peck on the lips. His body still didn’t relax, so I wrapped my arms tightly around him, nuzzling my face in the crook of his neck. “We don’t have to kill her. We can keep her here.”
Zane tossed up his arms. “Forever? Quinn’s just going to be our pet?”
I could feel Taven’s body shake, so I squeezed him tighter. Pressing my lips to the side of his head, I whispered, “It’s okay, baby. Everything is going to be fine.”
“How the fuck is it going to be fine, Keith?” Zane demanded.
“Ever heard of Stockholm syndrome? We treat her well; maybe she will like us again.” I stopped my train of thought when a wave of panic swept through my body. “Fuck! Her phone!”
Reaching into his pocket, Zane pulled out a bright green cell. “First thing I did after we chained her up like a fucking animal.”
I had never felt so relieved in my entire life. Pulling away from Taven, I began pacing around, roughly running my hand through my hair. “Maybe we go to plan B. We go to Brazil. There’s no extradition there. When we land safe and sound, we make a call and tell someone where she is.”
“We need to just fucking kill her, Keith! We can’t risk this shit.”
I drew Taven into my arms again. He had killed before; the victim was an outlaw like us and a snitch. Killing someone who deserved it wasn’t a problem but murdering a woman...
Pressing my lips to his, I held him for a long time until his shaking subsided. I pulled back, brushing a few locs from his face. “I fucked up. I killed an innocent because I didn’t want to get caught. You were right when you told me it made me no better than those pigs. If we kill Quinn, we are no better than the fucks that killed our family to cover up their own fuck up.”
He nodded. “I’m sure Quinn brought her car. I’m going to see if she has her keys, and we can stash the Jeep with the bumper cars.”
Zane turned to follow him but paused. “I never thought it would be you that talked us out of killing her.”
I wish I could say I was surprised by his words, but I wasn’t. Not in the least bit. Killing came much easier to me than it did to my brothers.
“Killing Quinn would break him; he only said he would do it because I like her, but he does, too. I decided a long time ago that I won’t live without him. If he goes, I go. Nothing he or what anyone else says will change my mind.”
Zane smiled. “I’m kind of jealous.”
I grinned back. “Aww, Zane, do you want to have a threesome?”
He chuckled, “No thanks. You two would have to grow titties, and have your dicks turn into pussies.” He shook his head. “But even then, I think you two would still be ugly.”
I jutted my lip in a mock pout. “I’m not ugly.”
“To a straight guy, you are.”
I crossed my arms. “Well fuck you then; you’re ugly, too.”
He walked off. “No, I’m not.”
“No, you sure as fuck aren’t. Bitch ass sexy motherfucker,” I mumbled under my breath. “Where are you going?!”
He turned, walking backward. “We need to ditch the pig. It’s bad enough we have to keep Quinn locked up. She shouldn’t have to look at that.”