CHAPTER FOUR
– QUINN –
“Come on, girl. He wouldn’t have wanted you to hide underneath the blankets for the rest of your life. You’re neglecting yourself and everything around you.”
I release a sigh and touch the small tattoo on my wrist. The same day I heard about my brother’s death I wandered into a tattoo shop. Micah’s initial surrounded by a swirly heart is an everlasting reminder of his loss. He’s dead. My brother is dead.
I throw the blankets off to stare at my best friend.
“It’s hard,” I croak on a whisper.
Bri kicks off her slippers and gets into the bed beside me. “I know, babe. Life is unfair, and he was too damn young. Then there’s the fucked-up circumstances. Still, you know time doesn’t stop, right?”
“Don’t start to tell me he’d want me to live,” I grumble.
Nothing feels right ever since I went to see my father. Here I thought he’d wanted me to come home and marry some guy because he didn’t believe in me, or an education. Boy, was I wrong. He straight up told me my brother died a few nights before, and how he won’t be paying my tuition fee.
He didn’t even call me when it happened to tell me my brother died.
Nope. There won’t even be a funeral, because there’s no official death.
Why? My brother died during an illegal underground fighting event my father organized.
It’s bad for business to have someone die during such an occasion, let alone call an ambulance, or get the police involved.
My father explained to me how one of his contacts, Jovan Cillian, handled the body.
So, officially my brother is missing...all while we know he’s dead.
I didn’t even know he died until days after it happened.
No chance to say goodbye, no funeral, no grave, no nothing.
I feel empty inside and have no clue what to do.
My life has turned upside down over the past few weeks.
I don’t have any family left, because what father would do such a thing?
He’s always treated me like shit and the only reason he was bearable to be around was because of my brother.
He’s gone now. My education is on shaky ground with no way to pay for it.
So, I’m drowning in misery under the blankets.
“We have to be in class in an hour, and you’re going to come with me,” Bri announces with a firm voice.
“I won’t let you throw away your dream. Screw the money.
I’m sure we’ll come up with something. One day at a time, Quinn.
Hell, one minute after the next. This minute you’re going to use to drag your ass out of bed.
..or I’ll push you, your choice. The next minute you’re going to take a shower because, girl?
I love you and all...but you freaking stink. ”
The corner of my mouth twitches in half a smile, and I might choke on a sob. Staying in bed hasn’t helped one bit, and I do stink.
“Fine,” I croak. “No need to push me, I can move by myself.”
“Oh, thank fuck,” Bri mutters. “Your ass is too heavy anyway.”
I’m standing next to the bed when I whirl around and snap, “Rude.”
Bri smacks her own ass. “Oh, shut it. My curves trumps yours. Which by the way are a hot demand.”
“What?” I wonder.
Bri smirks. “Ah, now you want all the dirty details?”
My shoulders sag and I do regret ignoring my friend whenever she knocked on my bedroom door. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
She snorts. “You didn’t ignore me; you ignored the world. There’s a difference. Anyway, remember the guy I’m tutoring?”
“Tate?” I ask and take a step in her direction, intrigued to hear where this is going.
Bri grins. “Tate. He offered to go down on me.”
I can feel my eyes widen. “Go down on...as in oral?”
“Yeah.” She shakes her head and throws her hands up, and adds with a load of disbelief, “When I declined, he offered me money. Can you believe it?”
My jaw almost hits the floor. “Noooooo.”
“Right?” Bri chuckles but stops abruptly. “I should have asked how much money.”
“Noooo.” My tone is way different this time. “Don’t even think about it. That’s wrong.”
Bri starts to sputter, but I hold my hand up. “Sex is a personal matter. Pleasure is definitely not about money. Now, I’m going to have a shower, and then we have to get to class.”
A grunt rips from me when Bri’s body crashes against mine. “You’re my person, Quinn. You know that, right?”
I close my eyes and hug her back just as fiercely. “Right back at ya.”
She suddenly grabs my arms and shoves me away. “But you really do stink.”
I chuckle while she pinches her nose and slowly backs out of my bedroom. Grabbing some clean clothes and underwear, I head into the bathroom and take a quick shower. I might have intended to take a quick shower, but it still takes me twenty minutes.
Finally, when I’m all dressed, I braid my hair and grab the books I need for today. With my backpack in hand, I walk into the main room when the doorbell rings.
“Don’t get up, I got it,” I tell Bri who is sitting at the kitchen table with her nose stuck in a book.
The corner of my mouth twitches due to her reaction. It’s clear Bri wasn’t going to open the door anyway. I place my backpack on one of the chairs and head for the door. My heart skips a beat when I stare into the blue eyes of non other than Fiero Reaux.
“What are you doing here?” I can feel my cheeks heat when those words tumble over my lips.
He ignores my words and asks, “May I come in?”
I step back and my heart skips a beat when he saunters inside, keeping his eyes locked with mine as I close the door behind him.
His gaze locks on something over my shoulder. “Can we talk somewhere privately?”
My thoughts go to my bedroom, and I lick my bottom lip.
Having this man near a bed would unleash a flood of sexual fantasies.
I can feel my cheeks heating a fraction more.
Bri clears her throat, and it reminds me of something she repeatedly mentioned this morning.
I can hardly bring Fiero into my bedroom, the one I’ve been in for days, stinking up the place.
Whipping my head in Bri’s direction I ask, “I’ll catch up with you in class.”
“Are you sure?” Bri asks, and she narrows her eyes at Fiero.
Fiero turns to Bri. “Aubrielle Baylor, I’m...”
“I know who you are, Fiero Reaux.” Bri gets to her feet, and I know by the tone of her voice she’s slipped into a defense mode. “What I don’t know is why you’re here. If it’s about money, Quinn still has a couple of weeks to fix it, and we will.”
My eyes widen at Bri’s outburst. Fiero, though? He seems unaffected.
His voice is calm and steady when he turns to me and says, “We could go somewhere privately.”
“Fine,” Bri huffs. “I’ll go.”
She grabs her stuff and stomps in the direction of the door.
When she moves past us, she points at Fiero and states, “No funny stuff.”
Fiero’s eyes widen a fraction in surprise, but it’s gone the next instant. Bri slips out and shuts the door with a loud click.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “My friend has a temper and is overly protective.”
I stalk into the kitchen to grab a mug and fill it with coffee.
Turning to Fiero, I lean my hip against the counter and ask, “Would you like some?”
“Why is there a delay in payment while your father has always paid on time? Does it have something to do with your brother being missing?” Fiero bluntly throws the words at me.
Flustered, my hand starts to shake. I try to place the mug on the counter, but it tips over, causing the coffee to splash everywhere.
“Shit,” I croak, my throat clogging up.
My brother isn’t missing. He’s dead. His body is gone and no one will ever find him. When I was young, I attended one of the underground events my father organized. There was a similar incident where a fighter received a blow to the temple, ending his life in that very second.
The loads of people in the warehouse were gone within ten minutes. Only my father, my brother, and four of my father’s friends were surrounding the body. One of those guys was wearing a suit, completely out of place for such an event, and told my father he’d handle it in return for a marker.
When I asked my brother about it when he took me home, he explained my father owed the guy a favor in the future for getting rid of the body. My brother never lied to me, and now...years later, I wished I hadn’t asked...because he received the same fate.
Did the same guy in the suit get rid of my brother’s body? Does my father owe him two markers now? Probably many more markers over the past few years. How many men have lost their lives in the underground events my father organizes?
My eyes burn and I quickly wipe my sleeve over the wetness of my cheeks as I turn to reach for a cloth.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “I didn’t get much sleep, and yes, my brother is missing.”
It’s the only answer to his question because I have no solution to the delay of money. My mind suddenly jumps to why Fiero would be here when the money isn’t even overdue yet. Besides, wouldn’t the administration reach out first? Fiero strides closer and removes an invisible speck off his suit.
Fiero is wearing a suit, just like the guy at my father’s events who handles issues that need to be swept under a rock. My gaze glides to his buckle where he pulled a tiny knife from and cut someone’s hand for freaking touching him.
My heart now skips for a whole different reason, and I can hear the fear in my own voice when I whisper, “Why are you here?”