Chapter 12
“Not surprised,” Sinner grumbles. “We weren’t exactly subtle.”
“They don’t seem eager to start anything. Dragon and Shiv are keeping ‘em busy for now. How cooperative are we feeling?” Crank asks. He loosens his shoulders as he walks.
Hellfire rubs his temples. “On principle? Not very, but today I think we’re in the clear.” Sinner opens his mouth but Hellfire cuts him off. “Don’t you say a fucking word about the guy you shot.”
Sinner mimes zipping his lips and throwing away the key.
Quinn follows right behind me, quickstepping to keep up. “Am I going to have to go with them?” She sounds worried.
I stop and turn, catching her by the arm.
“No. Not if we can help it, and they know better than to think they have any fucking say about what happens inside our walls.” I gesture to the side, where she can wait out of sight of the gate, but still be close enough to get to quickly.
“Wait over there until we know everything’s good. ”
There are faint red marks on her neck and cheek. I almost hope the asshole who got shot is still alive so we can shoot him again. I wish I could say the protectiveness I feel is just me watching out for my best friend’s little sister, but even I know there’s more to it than that.
She nods and does what I asked.
Hellfire leads the way to the gate, where Shiv and Dragon are waiting with the gate closed.
Word must be getting out around the compound because brothers are trickling in, filling the ranks on our side.
The pigs brought four fucking cars, so you know they’re prepared for trouble, but only a few cops are actually in the street waiting.
It’s tense, but not a standoff. Yet anyway.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Hellfire calls out to the cops, “What do you want?”
A beefy man with stripes on his shoulders, a shiny badge and flighty eyes, steps out of the pack.
“There was a report of an assault in Brentport about an hour ago. One of your boys was identified at the scene and a young woman’s gone missing.
I know we try to ignore each other as much as possible, but I’ve got a lot of frightened civilians right now and we need to tell them something. ”
We operate on the wrong side of the law.
They know it and we know it, but the unspoken arrangement between us and the cops always comes down to one thing: don’t fuck with the general public.
It’s usually not a problem because we’re not a petty fucking street gang.
A lot of our work, running bounties and protection duty like we’re doing for Quinn is even perfectly legal.
And the part that isn’t? Well, the people we work with and for are also quietly ignored by the local boys and girls in blue.
“Didn’t know we weren’t allowed in Brentport.” Hellfire snorts derisively. “You got a picture? Or a name at least?”
“We do, I’m afraid. We’re still going over the footage, but your man is clearly involved in some sort of altercation, and we have a clear shot of him running off with the missing woman, Quinn Callahan.”
I’ll give the cop this, he has more balls than most of his kind. If the shit really hit the fan, we do have a few contacts on the force, but in this case we happen to be in the right.
“He was actually on duty.” I step forward. “She’s been receiving threats. He was there as her bodyguard.”
The cop looks suspicious. “I need to see some proof of that, and to speak with both the suspect and Ms. Callahan.”
“It was me.” Sinner takes a step forward.
“Check your footage if you need to. I accompanied Ms. Callahan, who was meeting with a friend. A black van showed up while they were walking and several men wearing masks tried to take her away. I got Ms. Callahan to safety, but the suspects fled the scene.”
“Witnesses said they heard a gun. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
“Can’t recall. Any injuries? Damage?” Sinner’s smile is a master class in, ‘Who me, officer?’.
“And Ms. Callahan? She can corroborate your story?”
“I can.” She steps out of cover and moves to my side.
Not waiting for my signal, but her timing’s good.
Trust an actor to know dramatic timing. “Sinner saved me, and I’m here on my own volition.
Without him, I would’ve been God knows where by now.
” Her voice is steady, but she slips her hand into mine.
“Quinn!” A woman forces her way out of the back of one of the police cars. Definitely not a cop. Not with that dress and the heels.
Quinn’s mom. She’s older for sure, but Sheila hasn’t changed that fucking much.
She presses between a couple of the cops, who halfheartedly try and hold her back.
“What are you doing with these people? Come with me. Now. We’re going back to your apartment where it’s safe, and we can talk to the police there. ”
Quinn seems to shrink beside me, her shoulders rounding in and her whole attitude changing. “It’s okay, Mom. He was just doing his job.”
Sheila is about how I remember her, but seeing them together really highlights the similarities and differences.
Her mother’s still a beautiful woman, always was, but Quinn is a torch to her mother’s fading candle.
Hair is a little brighter, eyes a little greener, pale skin dusted with freckles and not dominated by them.
The soft signs of age could’ve just made Sheila beautiful in a different way, but once a bitch, always a bitch.
The cop’s eyes widen in recognition when he sees Quinn. “Hey! You’re on that show, aren’t you? The demon lady? My wife loves it. I’ve had to sit through those episodes more than I’m willing to admit.”
“Desdemona, at your service.” She gives a little curtsy.
Maybe this isn’t gonna go to hell after all.
Sheila rattles the gate. “Quinn, we’re leaving.
You have no idea how terrified I was when I got the call that you were missing.
And then when I heard that violent criminals were involved—” She shudders, and as much as I hate the bitch, I can’t blame her for being scared.
“I’m not leaving you here. I just can’t, baby. ”
“Ma’am,” the officer starts, but she holds up a hand, and he actually shuts up.
“Sir, I’m speaking to my daughter. Please give me a moment.
” Sheila stretches her hand through the gate and Quinn leaves me to comfort her mother.
“Come on, let’s go. We’ll get takeout on the way.
Humor your mother if nothing else, so I can see that you’re safe, and then you can tell me what you mean about that man doing his job. ”
A female officer gets out of the second car and walks forward to whisper something to the lead cop.
He nods, then turns to us. “Erika Adams has given her statement. Her story lines up with what you’ve told us.
I’d appreciate a moment with both Ms. Callahan and Mr… Sinner, but then you’ll be free to go.
“Open the gate,” Hellfire orders. “The mother can come in, the invitation doesn’t extend to the rest of you, but we’ll be happy to cooperate so long as you don’t start waving your dicks around.” He nods his head at the woman. “Metaphorically of course.”
She looks like she wants to laugh, but schools her expression quickly.
Sheila rushes in, throwing her arms around Quinn, who melts into the hug.
“Mom, I’m fine. It was scary, but I hired them to keep me safe until we figure out what’s going on.”
“Baby, why would you do that without talking to me first, and why on Earth did you choose them?”
I clear my throat. “Don’t recognize me, Sheila? It’s been a while, I’ll give you that.”
She stares, eyebrows furrowed.
“It’s Heath, Mom. Axel’s friend?” Quinn explains. Her jade flecked eyes catch mine, crinkling at the corners. “We reconnected.”
For a second, Sheila looks like she just swallowed a bug. “So I see. Why am I not surprised you ended up in a place like this?”
Quinn gasps. “Mom! Don’t be rude.”
Colt, Sinner, Hellfire and a dozen other men are all at my side, standing proud.
I look her dead in the eyes and let her see exactly how little I care about her opinion. “Was that supposed to hurt? I’ve got no regrets or apologies about where I am.”
I wonder, can she say the same?
The cops look over our paperwork and take Quinn’s statement first, leading her back to one of their cruisers so they can talk to her without pressure from us.
Pisses me off, but so long as we have her in sight, I’ll deal with it.
I’d do the same fucking thing if our roles were reversed.
She comes back, slipping quickly to our side of the gate to stand between me and Colt while they take Sinner off for his own round of questioning.
Sheila looks like she’s about to burst into tears.
She grabs Quinn’s hands. “Honey, can we leave? They said they can drive us home and I’d really just love to get back to your place and stay there tonight.
I… Maybe it’s silly but I just want to be able to see you and know you’re okay. Please? For me.”
Quinn’s going to agree. I can see it in her body language even before a word comes out of her mouth.
I put a hand on her shoulder. “That’s fine, Q. I’ll follow you on my bike.”
“What? No!” Sheila snaps.
“It’s in the contract, ma’am. As your daughter mentioned, one of us will be with her at all times until this situation is resolved to Ms. Callahan’s satisfaction.”
“Can they do this?” Sheila asks the cop.
He shrugs. “I understand your concern, ma’am. Trust me, I do, but I’ve seen the contract, and believe it or not, they are a legally registered business. It’s your daughter’s right to hire them if she chooses.”
“I–” Sheila starts.
Quinn cuts in. “I tried it your way, Mom, and things just got worse. Let’s give them a chance, okay? Stay over tonight. I was scared, too, but having him there will make me feel better.” For all of Sheila’s manipulation, Quinn’s not letting this one pass.
Good girl.
Sheila glares my way so intensely that for a minute I think she might continue to object, but then she just shakes her head. “Fine. He can sit out on the balcony.”