12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Stephanie
I burst out of the back door with Quinn moments behind me and march up to the man leaning against the trunk of a car. He’s a tiger shifter and fine as fuck, but I don’t let that stop me. He has bright blonde hair and brown eyes that are almost black. He’s dressed in black cargo pants, a black shirt, and has a knife strapped to his thigh.
“Open the trunk,” I growl when I reach him.
He looks at me impassionately and then at Quinn over my shoulder. “Your mate?”
“Yes. Where’s Cash?” Quinn asks.
“Here,” a voice calls down the block. I watch him walk slowly toward us. He is dressed the same as Kade, except his pants are dark brown. His hair is black, and his eyes are so blue they almost glow.
I hear a muffled shout come from the trunk. “If you don’t open it now, I’m going to stab you with your own knife,” I threaten. He makes a noise that I assume is the closest to a laugh he can make and stands.
I gasp as he unlocks and opens the trunk. My little sister is bound and gagged. Her wild eyes meet mine, and she attempts to smile.
“Kade,” Quinn sighs in disappointment. “She is a threat?” I lunge for Kade, but Quinn is faster. His arm circles my waist, and I am lifted off the ground .
“Asshole, untie her,” I demand, my nails digging into Quinn’s skin. “You thought my sister, who is five foot one, was a threat to me?”
He shrugs as he cuts the binds. “I’ve seen women shorter than her gut a man.” He moves to her feet.
“Kade,” Quinn snaps.
“You know it’s true,” Kade replies.
“He’s right,” Cash drawls, leaning against the side of the car, and I switch my glare to him, and he grins.
Kade lifts my sister and carefully places her on her feet. I push out of Quinn’s arms as she lowers her gag.
“Hey, Sis,” she says.
“Gabby,” I cry, hugging her. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check on you,” she says.
“What if they would have been the bad guys?” I ask, pushing back, my hands on her shoulders.
“They weren’t.”
“What if they were?” I persist, yanking on her hair.
“But they weren’t,” she stresses, yanking my hair back.
“Gabriella,” I growl.
“Besides, I got to live out my kidnapping fantasy.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
“Of course, you have a kidnapping kink,” I sigh.
“Well, the first part of the fantasy. I didn’t get to the good parts yet,” she pouts, eyeing Cash.
“Gabriella,” I scold.
“Don’t knock it until you try it.” She grins at Kade.
I drop my arms and turn to Quinn. “This is my sister. Apparently, your guys fulfilled a wish.”
“She’s right, Little Cub. It could have its benefits,” he says, his voice deep. I get lost in his eyes, and heat comes over me .
His low laugh snaps me out of it, and I shake my head. “Gabby, are you alright?” I turn away from my tempting mate to see my sister watching us.
“I’m fine. They weren’t rough,” she says, sounding almost disappointed. “Who is this?” She tilts her head to inspect Quinn.
“My mate, Quinn,” I say.
“Damn, brother-in-law is hot,” she exclaims. “Did you know he was here?”
“No. We met on my first night here. How did you sneak away from our brothers and uncles?”
“You say that as if I’m not an adult. I’m twenty-five, I have a life. They don’t track every move I make,” she scoffs, totally lying.
“How?” I narrow my eyes.
“I waited until they were asleep,” she admits.
“They are probably looking for you.” Gabby is loved deeply by our family.
“Probably. I was going to call them after I talked to you, but then these two interrupted my plan,” she says.
“Your plan was shit,” Kade says.
“Nuh-uh.” She glares at him.
“Yes, it was,” he repeats.
“Whatever. If you think your glower and kidnapping ways turn women off, you're wrong,” she informs him and crosses her arms.
“Gabby,” I say softly. “Don’t piss off the scary guy.” I step close. “I missed you.” I run my hand over her hair, smoothing the wild strands. It’s the same color as mine, except it’s curly and reaches her waist.
“What’s there to life if you can’t piss off hot guys?” She grins. “I missed you, too. It’s only been a few days, but it felt like forever. You left me with a house full of guys,” she whines.
“I’m sorry, Gab,” I say, pulling her close .
“Congratulations on mating a super hot guy,” she mumbles into my shoulder.
“Thanks.” My eyes catch on Cash, who has been observing quietly, and he winks.
“Cash,” Quinn snarls.
“Didn’t mean anything by it, Boss,” Cash says quickly.
“Where are your things?” Quinn asks.
“I have a bag behind the dumpster,” she says, holding up a finger. I move away and look at where she is pointing.
“Did you have any idea what you were going to do?”
“I was winging it.” She smiles.
Quinn closes his eyes briefly. “Kade. Cash. We will handle it from here. Continue to do what I asked you to come here for.”
“Sis, brother-in-law is taking away the hot kidnapper guys,” Gabby cries.
“Jesus, Gabby.” I grab her hand and pull her toward the building.
She waves her free hand wildly. “Bye, guys. Thanks for not tying my bindings too tight,” she calls.
I pull hard and push her into the bakery. “Seriously,” I say.
“What?” She walks down the hallway and into the kitchen. “This is amazing. I’m so excited for you.” She skips through the doorway to the front. “You must be happy.”
“I am.” I can’t help but smile at her carefree attitude. “Can we talk about why you are here and how long you will stay?”
“Let’s not,” she says, her eyes snapping to Quinn as he puts her bag on the counter.
“Gabby.” I lean by her bag.
“Sis, do you know what it’s like to have so many men watching my every move, and not in a fun way? In the ‘My family is super protective’ way? ”
“I may know something about that,” I say dryly. I lean back on Quinn, who steps behind me.
“It sucks. Do you know the last time I went on a date?” she asks.
“No.”
“I don’t either; that’s how long it’s been. I miss kissing. The last guy I kissed, the uncles caught us, and I had to stop them from beating him up.” She plops down in a chair.
“So why don’t you move out?” Quinn asks.
“I—” she starts but turns desperate eyes toward me.
“Our mom depends on her,” I start, not knowing how to describe the dynamic between them. I definitely don’t know how to describe the relationship between my mom and me. “Gabby doesn’t want to leave her yet.”
“Yes, that’s it,” she says brightly.
Luckily, the door swings open, and Sally and Breeane walk in. Sally is licking an ice cream cone, and Breeane is eating a sundae.
“Hey, pretty girl,” Sally says to Gabby.
“A rabbit,” Gabby squeals. “You are gorgeous.” She stands and walks to Sally slowly.
“Thanks.” Sally grins.
“This is my sister, Gabby,” I tell Sally. “Sis, this is Sally, and you know Breeane.”
“Gabby, what are you doing here?” Breeane asks, giving her a one-armed hug.
“Just wanted to check on my big Sis. I heard all about your yummy mates,” Gabby says slightly.
“They are yummy,” Sally says.
“Are you happy?” Gabby asks, her face dreamy.
“I am,” Breeane assures her .
“Good.” My sister has the biggest heart and wants everyone to be happy.
“How long are you staying?” Sally asks.
“Well.” She turns to me. “I was thinking of moving here.”
“What?” I never thought she would leave home.
“That would be amazing,” Breeane says.
“We would love to have you,” Sally agrees.
“Did you talk to Mom and Dad about this?” I ask. Quinn feels my body tense and puts his hand on my hip.
“Not yet.” She bites her lip as we communicate with each other with our eyes. Mine are wide with surprise and uncomfortableness. Hers are wide with pleading.
“Why don’t you stay a few days? We can talk, and you can call our parents to let them know you are here.”
“Yes.” She shakes her head rapidly. “Can I stay here?”
“Of course,” I say automatically and then panic. I can’t let her see the closet.
“I’ll go clean up,” Quinn offers, and I turn to him.
Fuck, I want to kiss him for his thoughtfulness.
“How about I take her?” Sally says, and we all look at her. “I’m single. You two,” she waves her cone between Quinn and I. “Need the space. Gabby doesn’t want to be in the middle of a mated pair.” She grabs Gabby’s hand. “It will be a blast.”
“Are you sure?” Quinn asks.
“I don’t offer things when I don’t mean it.” She pulls Gabby close and wraps her arm around her shoulder. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“I don’t know, I’ve heard stories about rabbits,” Gabby teases.
“Good. We can stay up late, and I’ll tell you some more,” Sally smirks.
“Sounds good to me,” she agrees.
“Gabby, are you sure?” I ask. I feel like I’m abandoning her .
“Don’t worry, Sis. I won’t get into trouble.” She meets me in the middle of the room. I hug her tight and slide her bag over her shoulder.
“Call me anytime after you call home,” I remind her.
“I got it.” She pushes away. “Welcome to the family, brother-in-law.” She blows him a kiss.
“Thank you,” Quinn says, his eyes twinkling.
“I will walk out with you guys,” Breeane says. She winks at me.
“Now, Gabby, I didn’t say anything about not getting into trouble,” Sally whispers, pulling her toward the door.
“I already got into trouble, but Steph didn’t think it was funny,” Gabby whispers back.
“Really? Do tell.” Sally closes the door after them before she can answer.
“She’ll be fine, right?” I ask Quinn.
“Yes.” He walks behind me, and we watch the trio walk down the block. “Sally will protect her.”
“Good.” I face him and put my palms on his chest.
“Are you ready to tell me about your family?” he asks.
I sigh. “I will. Can we get some food first?” I ask, stalling.
“Of course. I’ll have something delivered.”
He locks the front door, takes my hand, and pulls me out of the room and back upstairs.
I let him guide me, gathering my thoughts.
How do I explain my family?
I lay in the closet, waiting for Quinn to return from throwing our take-out containers away. We ate on the floor in mostly silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable. Being with Quinn is easy—he makes it easy. But now is the time to open up more about my life. I also have more questions about who he thinks is sending the messages.
“Who are Kade and Cash?” I ask him as he steps inside the door.
“They work for me behind the scenes,” he answers, dropping beside me.
“You called them to protect me?”
“Yes. They didn’t have a job at the moment. They are the best, or I thought they were before today; now I have my doubts,” he grumbles. He props his head on his hand when he turns. His body barely touches my side but still affects me deeply.
“My sister is a force,” I say and get lost in his crooked smile.
“I get that feeling.” I runs his finger down my nose. “Tell me.” I fall into the warmth and openness of his eyes.
“My mom doesn’t understand me,” I whisper. “The three of us are the only women in the family, and she was thrilled when she had two girls. I am ten years older than Gabby, and I think Mom was relieved when she had Gabby; as she grew up, her personality grew with her. I love Gabby. She is the best sister and has never treated anyone with anything but kindness. Mom has a similar personality.” I curl my body, turning toward him and staring at his neck. “I was quiet. I was calm. I didn’t get excited about makeup or clothes. I liked school and getting good grades.”
“I would think that would be an admirable trait,” he says.
“They told me they were proud, but I didn’t always feel it. I am the responsible one. Gabby is the life of the party. She can talk to anyone and make friends easily.” I fiddle with the button on his shirt. “Mom just couldn’t relate to me. She wasn’t a bad mom. She loved me, gave me hugs, and expressed her love with words. We didn’t click in most ways.”
“It hurt you,” he says.
“Yes. Sometimes, I can’t find the words. I would try to force myself, and it would backfire. I would say something silly that hit wrong, and it would make me revert into myself. The men in my family are quiet, too, but she didn’t care about that. It was unfair. Gabby knew how I felt—she is very empathetic. So she would try to make up for it and not put me in the position I had to pretend.” I pat the button and drop my hand.
“She loves you.”
“Yes, and I love her desperately. She is sunshine. She has been suffocated by our mom, though. Mom has used her like a crutch against the men in the family. They have many things in common and Mom doesn’t have any close friends. I feel bad. I want her to move here. I would love to have her around, but I’m afraid my mom won’t let her go easily.”
“She is an adult,” he points out.
“But her big heart will melt if my mom complains or protests.”
“We can help.”
“I hope so. I want her to find herself. I know she craves independence, and she deserves to live her life for herself.”
“Are you close to your dad?”
“If you mean we share an eye-roll once in a while, yes. If you mean long talks, no. We got along, and he loves me. We have a mutual respect and need quiet. ”
“Have you talked to them since you got here?”
“I sent a text to my brother and uncles. They worry more than my parents do, or they did before. I talked to my mom once while I was traveling here. I know all of them were worried when I disappeared. I had never seen my mom so worked up when I got back. I think it woke them up, and they realized I could have died. She was glued to my side constantly after that. She didn’t want me to move and has been texting me constantly since I arrived. I’m afraid if Gabby moves here, she will lose it. She finally got me back, and now her other daughter wants to leave.” I scoot closer to him. “She is dependent on Gabby.”
“That doesn’t seem fair,” Quinn says.
“It’s not, but Gabby understands and hates to disappoint people.” I look over my shoulder at my phone after it buzzes. I decide to ignore it when Quinn’s phone rings.
“Fuck,” he says, reaching for it. “Sorry, Little Cub, it’s Kade.” He presses a button and puts it to his ear. “What?”
“You need to come to your office,” Kade says. I can hear his voice speaking clearly.
“Why?” Quinn sits up quickly, alert.
“Someone wrote a message on the front of it.”
“Shit.” He looks at me. “We’ll be there soon.” He cuts off the connection and slips the phone into his pocket. “I don’t want you left alone.”
“Alright.” I don’t argue. I grab my phone, glancing at the message as we leave the closet. I freeze in the doorway of the bedroom. “Quinn,” I say, a tremble in my voice. He stops, and I hand him my phone.
His jaw hardens as he reads the words.
“Do you know the man in your bed?”
He lowers my phone but keeps it clenched in his fist.
“I will keep you safe. This motherfucker can’t hide from me,” he growls harshly. “Do you believe me?” he asks .
“Yes,” I say firmly, knowing it’s important to him. He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the apartment.
I do believe him. I know my mate will do everything to keep his promise.