Chapter 52
“RUDE” BY MAGIC!
Red and blue lights were the first thing I noticed as I entered Cross Key Grove. It brightened up the entire district, welcoming neighbors from their homes as they wondered what had happened.
I gulped as we approached Quinntessa’s house, my motorcycle not giving me much of a chance to hide from the men in uniform on the front lawn. Her groan of dismay vibrated against my shoulder as she hugged my back.
“He called the cops?” Quinntessa’s words were muffled in my helmet. I got the impression she was as shocked as I was to see the chaos pouring into a once-silent neighborhood.
An officer moved forward from the blockade to stop my bike from approaching. I opened my mouth to explain who Quinntessa was, but her father finished the job for me.
“Quinntessa!” he shouted, throwing open the iron gate and jogging toward us.
Annoyance pooled in my stomach as Quinntessa’s arms unraveled from my body and she slipped off the bike. I waited as she took off my helmet and handed it back to me.
“Thanks for the ride.” She winced and glanced toward her father. “Sorry for him.”
Sebastian grabbed Quinntessa’s arm the second he was within reach and yanked her roughly away from my bike.
“Where the hell have you been?” he asked.
“I needed to clear my head.” Quinntessa hugged herself and avoided his eyes. “We went for a drive.”
I hated the way she shuffled her feet around him. She always looked as if she was walking on eggshells. I knew the feeling when my father lived at the estate. Every breath felt like a curse.
“I’m Qui?—”
His head snapped to face me. “I know who you are.”
Sebastian’s words felt like a threat. He stared at me, eyes filled with hatred.
“I wanted to make sure she returned home okay, so I offered to drive her,” I explained. “I gave her a helmet.”
“Stay away from my daughter.” He stepped toward me and grabbed my jacket, yanking me into his face. “Don’t come near my family again, Miss Battles. I even see you talking to my daughter at school, I will have you arrested.”
“Dad, leave her alone! What the heck?” Quinntessa shoved his chest and got between us. “We just talked, okay? I was upset, and she calmed me down. That’s it. She did nothing wrong!”
Sebastian didn’t bat an eye at his daughter as he stared at my smirk.
Damn, I couldn’t help it. Hearing her stick up for herself all because we hung out past his control was phenomenal. I’d bet it would keep him up at night knowing I was in his daughter’s head. I wondered if he’d noticed her lipstick wasn’t as perfect as it was before she ran away from him.
I wanted him to notice. There was an excitement inside me that built as I thought about him noticing. The way he’d lie awake at night, wondering if she was thinking of me. He’d have no control over her when I was in her head by her free will.
Maybe now, he’d stop letting dangerous men lurk around his daughter. Then, I wouldn’t have to guard the door so many nights in a row while Quinntessa slept upstairs.
“Did you really call the cops?” his daughter asked, looking around in surprise.
“No.” He crossed his arms and yanked his eyes away from me. “An old friend was gunned down in Murdafest today.”
“Oh my God,” Quinntessa gasped. “Who? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go inside.” Sebastian turned and guided Quinntessa away from my bike. “You don’t know what monsters lurk around at night.”
My teeth gritted.
“Look in a mirror, Christian.” I muttered.
The man stopped walking and slowly looked over his shoulder. Quinntessa must not have heard me over all the other sensory stimulation and looked back at us both in confusion.
“I think it’s best you go,” Sebastian suggested, a growl to his voice. “Now.”
“I’ll see you later, Mustang.” I nodded to his daughter and placed my helmet over my head.
Not bothering to buckle my chin strap, I revved my engine loudly and coasted my motorcycle in a circle. I took off out of Coven, flying over the train tracks and heading back home.