Chapter 19
Reid
Ishould have been able to rest easier once I knew Ilya had left, but I haven’t heard from Quinn in two days. And thanks to the Poulton Springs’ grapevine, I now know why she’d been so agitated and upset the other morning.
"He’s in that one,” Jake says, tipping his head to the door at the furthest end of the motel block. The place is a hundred miles north of Poulton Springs and looks like it’s stuck in the fifties. “I’ll go in first to make sure it’s clear.”
“No, I’ll do it,” I insist, sliding my cell into a pocket in my black combat pants and taking the Glock from my holster. The significance isn’t lost on me that it’s the same gun Quinn used to shoot out my tire. What is it about that woman that has me dropping my defenses like a lovesick teen?
“Reid, your brothers would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you.”
“I’m done hiding behind their shirttails,” I mutter as I stride ahead. “And the guy’s a gardener. What’s he going to do? Threaten to prune me?”
“Don’t underestimate your mark,” Jake says through gritted teeth. “There’s always the chance he’s armed.”
“Then I’ll shoot him,” I reply coldly as I glance through the window of Jason’s room.
The gap in the tattered blinds offers a glimpse of a man sprawled on the bed, back against the headboard and a controller in his hands. He’s wearing headphones and he doesn’t immediately react when I shoot the lock and step inside. I’m aiming at his head when his widening eyes meet mine.
Jason scrambles backwards to the furthest corner of the mattress, and just keeps going. He hits the bedside table cluttered with fast-food containers, then falls off the side of the mattress. He’s briefly out of view, and if he does have a gun, it gives him the perfect opportunity to reach for it.
Jake jumps onto the bed for a better vantage point while I circle around. We both take aim at the man curled up on the floor in the fetal position. Jason’s headphones are tangled around his neck, and his eyes are squeezed shut. He’s sobbing.
“Are you armed?” Jake demands.
Jason folds himself tighter into a ball. “No, nothing. I don’t– I’m not. No.”
I take a step closer to the quivering wreck. “Show me. Lie flat on your stomach.”
Jason stills for a moment then raises his trembling arms over his head and stretches out his legs as he assumes the position.
Jake searches him, turning him over so Jason’s on his back when he’s finished. “Clear.”
I keep my Glock trained on our target, who still has his eyes tightly closed. “Jason, get up.”
He whimpers as he stands, wiping snot from his nose before putting his hands on his head without prompting.
“For fuck’s sake, open your eyes.”
“I don’t want to see your face. I won’t go to the cops, but even if I did, I won’t have a description.”
“Smart thinking,” I say, “But I want you to know exactly who I am. My name is Reid Griffin. Now open your fucking eyes.”
Jason peels open one eye, then the other.
I step towards him and press the barrel of my gun to his head. “I don’t intend to kill you,” I say, “but I’ll be honest with you, Jason. I’d love you to give me an excuse to put a bullet in your head.”
“I’m not going to do anything, I swear. Please. Just tell me what you want.”
“What did you do to Quinn?”
His mouth gapes open. “I didn’t do anything.”
I press my gun hard enough for Jason’s head to tip back a touch. “Wrong answer.”
“No, no, please. Let me explain.” His lips are so dry they stick together.
“So, you see, the thing is… The other night. I got drunk. Really drunk. The Russian guys just kept pressing shots into my hand until I… Well, I can’t remember what happened next.
I have a vague memory of passing out on my bed, but I swear, I don’t have a clue what happened before then.
The next thing I know, Barrett calls me and says I’d assaulted Quinn, and to pack up my shit and leave.
Then he sent in his men to haul me out.”
“You mean Ilya’s men.”
“Yeah, that creep,” Jason confirms. “Barrett said I’d gone into Quinn’s room and tried to get into her bed, but if I did, it was only because I must have thought it was my bed. Quinn’s a good friend. Yeah, she’s attractive, but we weren’t into each other. Not at all.”
Jason sounds convincing, but the story doesn’t ring true. I’d seen the state Quinn was in the next day. It wasn’t an innocent mistake. She wouldn’t ask Barrett to fire Jason if that were the case.
“I feel so fucking bad about it. And I’d already let her down,” Jason continues. “She asked me to stay and I didn’t. Maybe I went into her room to check on her. I don’t know.”
“Explain,” I demand.
“She had to have dinner with the Russian creep, and said she’d text me if she needed me to stage an intervention.
Then I got talking to two of Ilya’s guys and the next thing I know, I’m agreeing to show them the town.
When I left Quinn, there was a fancy chef in the kitchen, so it wasn’t like they were alone.
But I don’t know… I did wonder if she was angry at me and made up this shit to teach me a lesson.
But that’s not Quinn’s style. She’d enjoy berating me. ”
I have to agree with Jason there, but I don’t interrupt.
“I don’t get why she didn’t speak to me first. None of it makes sense.
Quinn even told Tandy it was a misunderstanding.
And I hope to god it was. I just wish we’d had the chance to talk it through together, but Ilya’s men wouldn’t let me near her.
I think their boss didn’t want us to clear things up.
He wanted me gone. He’s already walking around like he owns the place, and he doesn’t want anyone there who isn’t working for him. ”
I loosen my grip on the Glock a fraction as I glance over at Jake. I can tell he’s thinking the same. Whatever happened, Ilya is behind it.
“I swear I didn’t… I would never hurt Quinn,” Jason whimpers. “I’m not that guy.”
Taking a step back, I lower my gun. I believe him. “Just stay the fuck away from her,” I say to cover all bases.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going back to Poulton Springs, not ever.
In fact, weird thing is, I’ve just had a job offer in Colorado.
The email came out of the blue this morning, and they’re not even asking for references.
I’ve been saying for a while that I wanted to head back that way. I have family there.”
I’d been stepping towards the door, but I stop. “Saying to who?” I ask.
Jason shrugs. “Anyone who’d listen.”
Quinn being one of them. And I ponder that thought as I head back to the parking lot with Jake.
Helicopter blades whir into action, kicking up a dust storm as Jake and I hurry to join our pilot. It’s almost laughable that Jason thought he was the only one who could identify me given we’d arrived in a helicopter emblazoned with the Griffin logo.
We’re in the air seconds later, on our way back to Poulton Springs. And the nearer we get, the more tempted I am to land right in front of Barrett’s mansion. Quinn has some explaining to do, and I’m about to message her when Jake looks up from his cell phone.
“We have a problem,” he says. “There’s activity at the house.”
“Is Ilya back?” I’m not ready to have him this close to Quinn again – not after my conversation with Jason.
“No, it’s Quinn. She’s been stuck at the gate for almost ten minutes. She’s out of her Jeep, arguing with the two guards.”
Blood rushes to my head. “They’re not letting her leave?”
“Looks that way. We’re getting a drone in the air right now to take a closer look.”
“How long until we can get there?”
“Under five,” says the pilot, who’s part of Jake’s security team. “Where do you want to land?”
Before I can answer, a call is patched through from Ash. “Don’t give Ilya even more reason to start a war,” he warns by way of a greeting. “We need him to play his hand first.”
“And you don’t think this is it? Whether he’s aware of my relationship with Quinn, or not, he knows we’re here to stop him exploiting women.
He’s already isolated her, Ash. I’m pretty sure he engineered the whole drama with the gardener just so she’d be on her own.
If you don’t want anyone else involved, fine, but I’m going in. ”
“Jake, get your nearest team outside the gates in full view of the guards,” Ash says, barely leaving a pause before he’s made a plan of action. “Let them know we’re watching.”
“We could fly the drone low enough for them to spot,” he replies.
“You know what’ll happen, but fine,” Mace says, joining the conversation. I should have known it was a conference call.
“Have the helicopter land on the public road,” Ash tells us. “Reid, when you get there, go to the gate and see if you can get Quinn out with minimal force. Let Ilya decide if he’s ready to start a war.”