Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The ladies tossed their overnight bags into the back of Quinn’s SUV. With all of them heading out for the weekend, they were taking two vehicles.
Brandi laughed when one of Quinn’s sons handed her a walkie-talkie. “What’s this for, Gabriel?”
“Walkie-talkies, babe,” he said matter-of-factly.
Babe? Brandi looked around, wondering if anyone else caught that. She got her answer when she spotted Tool a few feet away, chuckling. Narrowing her eyes, she pointed the walkie-talkie at him like a weapon. “Thanks, kid,” she muttered, trying not to grin.
Tool just smirked, shaking his head as he walked off.
“Ladies, the weekend’s gonna be over before we even make it out of the driveway,” Sloan called out, twirling her finger in the air as a signal to get moving. Wick was standing nearby, trying—and failing—to bite back a laugh.
Yeah, Quinn thought. She was an old lady now. Closing the hatch, she turned to find Gypsy watching her. “I’ll call when we get there,” she told him.
Gypsy wrapped his arms around her, his voice low. “Quinn, I want you to have a good time. You deserve this. Just enjoy your weekend with your friends.”
“I know,” she replied, still a little miffed at him for reasons she hadn’t quite let go of yet.
But she still went up on her toes, kissed him, and when she pulled away, she made sure to tell him she’d left the itinerary on the counter—whether he actually needed it or not.
He could easily track her spending, but she chose to offer it anyway.
Gypsy opened her door for her, and just before she slid in, she murmured, “I love you.”
“Love you too,” he said as he shut the door.
Just as she started the SUV, a tapping on the window made her pause. She rolled it down, arching a brow. “Something wrong?”
“No.” Gypsy handed her a Glock through the open window. “You know how to use it. Keep it close.”
She took it without hesitation, tucking it into the console. “I’ll keep it close,” she promised.
He winked. “Love you.”
She smiled. “Love you too.”
As they pulled out of the driveway, Quinn half-expected to see a tail—whether a bike or a truck—but nothing followed. A weekend without the club hovering over them sounded perfect.
“Okay, ladies, if anything goes wrong, we keep it to ourselves. I don’t want this to be my last outing without chaperones.” Quinn’s voice crackled through the walkie-talkie.
Laughter erupted on the other end.
Echo had claimed shotgun, making her the de facto DJ. She hit the search button on the radio until the speakers blasted Pour Some Sugar on Me.
Brandi’s voice came over the music. “Where are we staying?”
Quinn shrugged. “We don’t have a place yet.”
Brandi turned in her seat, frowning. “Echo said you reserved a B Quinn included.
By the time they rolled into Sonoma Valley, the ladies were this close to throwing the walkie-talkies out the window.
Layla’s nonstop complaints about being hungry had grated on everyone’s nerves—judging by the exchanged looks and exaggerated sighs, they were all starting to understand why Quinn hadn’t wanted her sister to come.
As the ladies climbed out of the SUVs and grabbed their bags, Quinn took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself. She had no intention of spending her one weekend off herding squirrels.
Still, she wasn’t about to let chaos reign—not completely.
"Listen up," she called, hands on her hips. "That means you, Layla."
Her sister, predictably, was half-distracted, digging through her bag for something. At the sound of her name, she snapped her head up, eyebrows raised.
Quinn continued, "After we get checked in and cleaned up—"
"Cleaned up?" Layla cut in. "Why do I need to clean up? I’ve been in a damn car, not rolling in mud."
Quinn exhaled, already regretting every life choice that had led her to this moment. Ignoring her sister, she pushed forward.
"Once we’re ready," she stressed, shooting Layla a look, "we’ll pick a place for dinner and drinks then head out. No distractions, no detours."
Layla smirked. "Define ‘distractions.’"
Quinn pinched the bridge of her nose. It was going to be a long night. Cutting a look at Echo, she hoped her best friend realized her mistake. She’d been the one to say Layla was fun. Fun in the form of a roller coaster with no brakes.
Once they checked in, the ladies paired up and headed to their rooms. Naturally, no one wanted Layla. Quinn wasn’t even a little surprised.
She watched as the others quickly claimed roommates, pairing off as if it were a survival instinct. Echo and Sloan were already halfway to their room, laughing about something. Brandi had grabbed her bag and taken off without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Layla stood there, completely unbothered, tossing a peanut from the snack bag into her mouth like she hadn’t just been actively avoided.
Quinn sighed, pressing her fingers against her temple.
The last thing she was going to do was let Layla have her own room.
That would be a mistake. A huge mistake.
She could already picture it—Layla getting into God only knew what kind of trouble, dragging some poor soul into her chaos, and Quinn would be the one left cleaning up the mess.
Nope. Not happening. Resigned, she grabbed Layla’s bag off the floor and tossed it at her. “You’re with me.”
Layla caught it effortlessly, grinning. “Aww, sis, I knew you couldn’t live without me.”
Quinn groaned, already regretting this decision. “Trust me, this is not a favor to you.”
Layla just slung an arm around Quinn’s shoulder as they headed toward their room, completely unfazed. “Sure, sure. Just try not to snore, okay?”
Quinn let out a slow, controlled breath. It was going to be a long weekend.