Chapter 28 Theo
Theo
“You’re back?” Asher asked as I answered the phone on speaker through my car. I’d driven myself to the private airfield and left my car there. I was not in the mood to be around people, including Arthur. Plus I’d left late so I hadn’t wanted to bother him.
“Yeah.” I’d landed thirty minutes ago, and I was now three minutes from the club. I had work to get done and I needed some paperwork from there. I hadn’t planned on coming back this soon, but I was fucking torn up and even if I knew I shouldn’t see her, I needed to be in the same time zone as her.
It had been eight days and I missed her so fucking much it was physically hurting me.
Leaving had been hard. So fucking hard.
I’d almost changed my mind when those silent tears had fallen down her cheeks in my office, but I had gritted my teeth, holding on to the fact that I needed to get away from her. For her own safety.
London had been shit. I’d gone to the office, working there as long as I could before I went to the hotel I’d booked and sat there until I was able to sleep for an hour or two and then the cycle had continued.
“Knight,” Asher started.
I let out a sigh before cutting him off. “I am not talking about her.”
“Well at least tell me what the fuck is going on because it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Asher. I am not talking about this.” I ran my hand through my hair for what must have been the fifteenth time since I landed.
“There is something you aren’t telling me.”
“I’m heading to the Pulse to grab a few things and then I’ve got work to do.” It’s not like I’ve been sleeping much, might as well get some work done.
“It’s not urgent, Knight, it can wait.” I looked down at the screen in the car to check the caller ID, to make sure that I was talking to Asher Lawson.
“Who the hell are you and what have you done with my best friend?”
Asher and I had been working our asses off for years, if I didn’t know what a day off looked like, he’d never even heard of one. The other end of the phone was quiet for a minute as I pulled into the lot near the VIP entrance of the club.
“You’re different with her, Knight. You’re lighter, like the world isn’t weighing you down.
You closed yourself off when your mum passed, and I know that crushed you, man.
It fucking sucked but she’s helping you move past it, she’s helping you live.
Your mum would’ve loved her.” I rested my head back against the headrest. Asher and I didn’t do this, we hardly spoke about my mum.
Maybe that wasn’t healthy but it was how I needed to deal and he understood that.
“Don’t let that go because you’re scared,” he added quietly before hanging up on me.
The thoughts I’d been wrestling with all week swirled back around. She fucking terrified me. I was using these threats from my dad as an excuse to push her away. I wasn’t good enough for her, but I might be selfish enough to keep her anyway. The problem was, if I lost her, I wouldn’t survive it.
My mind was a mess.
I shook off my conversation with Asher and climbed out of the car.
“Hey asshole,” Noah shouted as I looked up to find him leaning against the wall of the building, his arms crossed over his chest. I let out an agitated sigh and rubbed my hand over the back of my neck.
“Not in the mood, Noah.” He pushed off the wall and followed me toward the door anyway. “Did you and Ash plan this full court press?”
“Evening, sir,” Dane spoke as we got to the door. I almost kept walking but something about his face had me stopping.
I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“Quinn was here tonight.” Even hearing her name brought some warmth to the ice that had settled in my veins since walking away from her.
“I’ve been here working upstairs for over an hour,” Noah said from beside me with a frown.
“She was already here when you got here, and she left before you came down.”
“Why didn’t you notify me?” Noah demanded. “Isn’t that what you were instructed to do?” Noah looked at me and then back to Dane.
“Before she came in.” Dane shifted his feet nervously. I’d never seen this man look uncomfortable. “She asked if any of you were here, it seemed important so I didn’t think she would want you to know she was here. We had our eyes on her the whole time.” Dane kept his attention on me.
“She was drinking?” I asked through a tight throat.
“Yes sir, quite a bit, but she switched to water eventually. She was left alone. Only the incident with Riley but we aren’t—”
“What incident with Riley?” I cut him off.
“Well… she made her pay for drinks. They seemed to have some words but no one knows what was said.”
“Aw fuck,” Noah muttered and shook his head. “We should have fired that girl, she’s too obsessed with you.”
I knew she had a thing for me but I’d never slept with her, unlike Noah, I didn’t fuck women where I worked.
“Quinn looked quite upset when she left,” Dane added. Smart man, he knew things were different tonight.
“When did she leave?” I asked.
“About twenty minutes ago. Her friend was here, I think her boyfriend picked them up.”
“You’re going after her, right?” Noah asked me, like it wasn’t even a question.
“No. I’m not.” I looked over at Dane. “Let the bar manager know Noah needs to speak to her.” I would leave the firing to him. With that I walked into the loud club.
“What the hell are you doing?” Noah followed behind me.
“I’m going to go and get some shit done.” I made my way up the stairs.
Noah followed me into the office and I ignored him as I sat behind my desk and started pushing paper around to find what I needed. Even though I was distracted.
Quinn had been here with Aubrey, got drunk and left. She could have gone anywhere, I was glad she came here so my people could look after her since I couldn’t.
I only deserved breadcrumbs of her life.
“Are you staying long?” Noah gritted out the question, clearly displeased.
“No. Heading to the office.” I didn’t need to look up to see that he didn’t agree. But I ignored him and kept gathering the things I needed.
“I’ll just wait outside,” Noah said as he stood; guess he didn’t want to be around me either.
My phone rang, breaking my angry silence.
I pulled it out of my pocket and the pain in my chest lightened instantly.
I was an ass, I shouldn’t want her to call but seeing Quinn’s name on my phone was everything.
I was pleased she was calling me when she was drunk.
Even if we fought, I would be happy to hear her voice, even if she yelled at me. She should yell at me.
“Hey.” I barely bit back her nickname. I didn’t need to mess with her head more than I already had.
“Theodore Knight?” I was shocked by the man’s voice. I pulled the phone away to make sure it was Quinn’s name and I hadn’t lost my mind and imagined it.
“Who that fuck are you and why do you have Quinn’s phone?” I growled.
“Sir, are you Theodore Knight?”
“Yes,” I snapped out.
“Sir, my name is Officer Monroe. You’re listed as the emergency contact for this phone,” the man said. I pushed to my feet instantly, a deep heaviness settling in my gut. “There has been an accident, sir.”
I started running.
“Noah!” I yelled as I threw the door open and started down the hallway. He was already behind me as I took the stairs two at a time.
“You’re the emergency contact, but what is your relation to the owner of this phone?”
I sprinted out the front doors to my truck.
“I’m her fiancé,” I answered without thinking. It would hopefully get me more information about what was going on.
“You aren’t driving,” Noah said before I could round my car.
He didn’t know what was happening, but he could feel my panic. I nodded and tossed him my keys, climbing into the passenger side.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m the officer on scene of the accident.
There was a head on collision between a car with three passengers, which is where we found this phone.
Those three people were rushed to the hospital, one person is in life threatening condition and the other two are critical.
” My heart was pounding so hard I thought I might be having a heart attack.
“Who’s in life threatening condition?” I asked in a gruff voice that didn’t sound like mine. Noah’s hands tightened on the wheel, waiting for direction on where to go.
“I’m sorry, sir, we don’t know. None of the victims had ID on their immediate person. I’m assigned to the scene and found the phones and am informing emergency contacts,” the officer said.
I saw Noah pull his phone out, likely letting the other guys know what was going on but I couldn’t think of anyone else.
“Quinn has red hair, is she the one in life threatening condition?”
“Again, I’m sorry. I arrived after they were loaded in the ambulances.”
“Which hospital?”
“North Hill.” At least the officer knew something, Noah must have heard because he pulled out without me needing to say anything.
I hung up and stared out the window, my mind racing with the possibilities. We were at least twenty minutes away from the hospital and I couldn’t stop picturing myself showing up to hear that Quinn was dead.
“Ash is closer,” Noah said from beside me, his voice sounding weak. “He’ll see if he can get us an update. The rest are on their way and will meet us there.” I couldn’t do anything else but nod.
Noah’s phone rang a while later as the world flew by us, I grabbed it out of the cup holder. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know yet, Knight,” Asher answered. “They won’t tell me anything because I’m not family, but I have Oli on the phone with the board of the hospital. He’ll at least get a private room set up for her where we can wait.”
“I don’t give a shit, I need to know if she’s okay, Asher.” My voice broke. I cleared my throat to shove the emotions down. I didn’t have time for them right now. “Told the cop I’m her fiancé.”
“Noah said, everyone’s got it.”
“We’ll be there in eight minutes,” Noah added from beside me, pushing his foot harder on the gas.