Chapter 34
Quinnly
Lincoln came to my attic room halfway through my best breakthrough yet. Paranoid Penny really needs to pay her hackers more, they’ve done a good job covering her tracks, but they fucked up.
Her security at the warehouse she uses to run her bad bad things needs an update. So I ever so generously gave her one, and now I have access to all of her feeds. It’s not an ideal place to corner her, what with all the hired goons she’s got kicking around, but it’ll do.
“I’ve got her warehouse feed,” I say by way of greeting.
“Mhmm,” he says, coming to sit beside me. “Are you at all aware you’ve got a whole family here?”
Waving my hand, I ignore the comment, I like them well enough too. “Yeah yeah. Did you hear me? We’ve got her.”
“Creed warned me about Penny, Menace,” his hands land on my shoulders and he pulls me back into him. “He said they’ve tried everything to get her gone. Somehow every attempt they've made she evades, only to pop up somewhere else.”
“Gravity Hill isn’t that big,” I scoff.
“For her? It seems it is,” he presses on. “I’m just saying, let’s rethink your normal approach.”
Turning to look him in the eye, I close my computer and wait for him to elaborate. His sigh is heavy, accompanied by rubbing his fingers into his eyes.
“I know you don’t like a plan–”
“Because that’s when things derail–”
His quick hand over my mouth stops the rest of the words that were on the tip of my tongue.
“However, with the information Creed just gave me, I think it might be best.”
“Creed has gone soft in his marriage and age, and is easily dissuaded,” I argue. “But if you have a plan, I’m all ears.”
I climb into his lap and make an impatient gesture for him to continue, but he’s so warm and cozy I start to fade. I also yawned in the middle of his speech, and now he’s being pissy.
“You aren’t listening at all are you?” He finally asks after I may or may not have snored.
“I am!” I argue, pulling myself off his nice warm lap and rubbing my eyes.
He chuckles, and pulls me back down. “No you aren’t. Rest, Menace. We can go over it tomorrow.”
When I wake up I notice Lincoln’s already awake, his warmth is gone and his empty bags are neatly on the chair in the closet. His shirts are hanging up, pants folded on the little dresser in here. Whereas my bags are open, clothes exploding out everywhere.
He’s so meticulous, it’s distracting.
Throwing on a sports bra, and some leggings, I brush my hair and head down to the kitchen where Fern promised me Pop-Tarts.
The little spawn is at the counter, on her knees so she can see over the island. Fern’s baking something, and Salem’s cutting up fruit, I assume for the spawn.
“Good morning, Q,” Fern says, leaning behind her and nudging the blue box of sugary goodness. Keeping my eye on the little spawn, I make my way to the box and rip open a foil packet.
“Morning,” I answer after swallowing a bite. “What’s happening today?”
“Well, I’m heading to the bakery in a few, and the boys have their own things, but Salem and Cin will be here.”
I catch Salem’s irritated gaze dart to Fern, and laugh.
“What? You don’t want to hang out with me?” I fake pout. “That’s not very kind of you.”
She scoffs, making no attempt to appease me, and I decide I like the no bullshit way she goes about life. “Like that bothers you.”
“You don’t say much do you?” This is the second time we’ve spoken since Linc and I arrived, and she’s only said a handful of words to me. “You know, your Uncle was like that for a while too, but I fixed it.”
“Uncle!” The little spawn squeals.
Salem hands her the plate of fruit and the little spawn picks pieces up with her fingers and eats with mumbled mmms.
“Lincoln does seem a little more… human,” Salem says, watching her spawn eat.
“Well that’s boring,” I comment, throwing the silver foil in the trash and opening another.
“Those are really bad for you,” she says, eyes fixed on me now.
Taking a big bite, I smile, “Aren’t little spawn monsters also bad for you? You know, grey hair, stress, and all that.”
She laughs, which is not at all what I expected. “I guess some would agree.”
Almost absentmindedly her hand covers her lower belly, and my eyes pop back up to her face. She’s smiling while looking down at the spawn and–oh shit…
“Another spawn?” I screech as Fern drops a cake from the cooling rack.
“What?” Salem drops her hand and turns her head, before turning back with the same neutral expression from before.
“Salem,” Fern tries to whisper but her excitement won’t allow it. She’s about to squeal, I can see it written all over her face.
“Shhh. Don’t, not yet,” Salem says, cutting off Fern’s celebrations. She clears the spawns plate and leaves it in the sink. “I’ll get that later.”
Fern gives me a look with wide begging eyes and I huff. “Fine.” I know what she’s asking. She wants more information, and seems to think Salem will be more willing to tell me since I couldn’t care less.
“Thank you,” She sighs, then runs off, chittering excitedly under her breath about another baby.
Following Salem outside, she sets the spawn down and lets her play in the fenced off area. It’s like a playground for kids, except there’s only this little one around.
For now.
“Tobias doesn’t know,” she says, not a whisper like she’s scared or nervous. Just matter of fact.
“He’s gonna know now,” I tell her, hooking a thumb over my shoulder toward the kitchen. “Fern thinks like a grandmother. She’s probably on her way to beg Creed to make up a new nursery as we speak.” I shudder at the thought.
That gets a chuckle out of Salem, and she sits on the rocking chair closest to the playpen. “I think she wanted kids, but then after all the things she went through, she forgot. Now I get the feeling she thinks it’s too late.”
Sitting down in the grass by the playpen door, I wait for Lincoln to appear. Surely he’s almost done doing whatever it is he’s doing and can save me from… whatever the hell this is. Bonding, or whatever.
“She’s going to crawl into your lap,” Salem says after a few blessedly quiet moments.
I hadn’t realized that I’d closed my eyes, enjoying the bright sun and fresh air that I always miss when I return home to New York. The spawn is standing beside me, eyes level with mine, and she steps closer. Plastering my back against the fence, my eyes widen, and I hold my hands up.
“Bad spawn,” I try, hoping she’ll go to her mom instead.
Her little hands land on my shoulders and her feet find the empty space between my legs.
“Are you going to get her?” I ask Salem, who’s sitting in her chair with a smile on her face, barely containing her laughter.
“I think some toddler time would do you good, Quinnly,” she says, smiling as her spawn sits against my chest and lays her curly head between my neck and shoulder. Her little fingers trace the lines of the tattoo on my neck.
“Ew,” I imagine this is how people feel when they realize they’ve peed themselves after being stabbed. “She’s… purring.”
Salem laughs, but I don’t find anything about this funny. “She’s sleeping.”
“Already?” I screech.
Salem nods, but doesn’t comment further.
“And how do I… remove her?” I ask, still unsure where to put my hands.
“You don’t.”
Salem gets up, places a kiss on the little spawns head and walks away.
“Hey, no. Oh, hell no. Wait!”
She doesn’t wait, only continues on into the house, leaving me here stranded with the little purring spawn.
After grumbling about my predicament for who knows how long. I sigh and just let it happen. Resting my hands on my knees, I tilt my head up and close my eyes, hearing the horses down in the field as they huff and graze.
“Nap trapped,” Salem says, as I crack my eyes open and find the little spawn still peacefully asleep on my chest. “Looks like you needed that. She’s a little heater, huh?”
I’m sweating because I have no idea how long I’ve been sitting here, and the little spawn is wiggling in my lap, rousing from our nap. Lincoln’s in the chair beside Salem, lifting a drink to his lips attempting to hide his smile.
“Fucker,” I mumble.
The little spawn giggles, and I look down, finding her striking green eyes looking at me. Her hands run through my hair, and she puts it against her head.
“You have pretty hair,” she says with another giggle. Standing from my lap, she walks over to Lincoln and raises her arms in a silent demand. He picks her up and snuggles her into a big hug, then lets her go and watches her run into the house with her mother following close behind.
“It’s lunch time,” Lincoln says, standing and offering me his hand. “What do you say we go get something in town?”
His eyes scan my body, and I smirk. “Or you could have something here…”
He groans and swats at my ass, “Go get changed, Menace.”
It doesn’t take me long to throw on some clothes and meet Lincoln in the car. He’s already got the engine running with the air conditioner blasting. Driving into town, I give him directions to the fancy pasta place I found last time I was here.
I’m starving. Who knew spawnsitting was so exhausting?