Chapter 28 #2
My heart pounds, my arms move like pistons, but it’s my legs that eat up the ground. There’s a clamor of voices behind me, telling me to stop, but it’s only when those shouts turn into curses and insults that I know it’s my brothers in pursuit.
My boots scrape to a stop on the concrete corridor between the stalls lining each side of the stable block. The cell phone could be in any one of them, and my search slows me down. As I glance from left to right, I hear the thunder of approaching boots.
“Don’t you fucking dare!” Mace yells from behind me.
“Reid, no!” Hunter adds.
Ignoring them, my gaze swivels left and right as I check each stall in turn.
I’m three quarters of the way down, and I’m already tensing for when Hunter grabs me by my collar, or Mace kicks my feet from under me.
It’s not like they haven’t done it a hundred times before, but this isn’t play-fighting.
If either of them comes at me, I’m going to fight hard. I’ll even play dirty.
“Keep back!” I call out. “It’s not safe.”
“Which is why you’re not going to touch that fucking phone,” growls Ash as he appears at the opposite end of the corridor, directly in front of me.
He doesn’t come for me. He doesn’t need to. His word is law.
Normally.
I hold my hands up, hoping to stop Mace or Hunter from tackling me from behind. The soles of their boots scrape across the concrete, and the sound of their labored breaths grows nearer.
“We’ll find another way,” Ash promises. He tips his head up at the ceiling, reminding us all that we’re being monitored.
I meet my brother’s eye. “I’m sorry,” I say, and I genuinely mean it. Not for what I’ve done, but for what I’m about to do.
With my brothers relaxed, I turn ninety degrees and dive into the stall on my left. I’d seen the cell phone just as Ash appeared.
All three of my brothers crash into the stall seconds later, but it’s too late. I’ve already pulled the phone off the wall. There are no wires attached. Other than the duct tape across the front, it looks like a regular cell phone. I take hold of one end of the tape.
Mace’s eyes widen. “Don’t–”
Too late. The tape hangs loosely in one hand, the cell phone in my other. I go to make a snarky comment to Mace about it just being a phone when the damn thing starts ringing.
I don’t think I’m the only one who jumps, and I almost drop the phone. There’s no explosion, and no other sound to suggest I’ve triggered a trap. It just keeps ringing out.
I look to Ash. I’d ignored all his previous commands, but now I’m back to waiting for him to tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to do. He cocks an eyebrow. “Answer it.”
My heart stalls as I connect the call and put it on speakerphone for my brothers. Whatever this conversation is, I don’t want to be on my own.
“Who knew the youngest Griffin would be the bravest?” says Ilya. “I was starting to think you didn’t care about your darling Quinn.”
I grip the phone tighter. “If you’ve touched her–”
“I’m still speaking,” Ilya interrupts. “And of course I’ve touched her. As of now, she’s my property. Get used to it.”
“Are you going to tell us what this about, Ilya?” asks Ash, holding up a finger to stop me from reacting.
Ilya’s silent for a moment. “I don’t normally share my thoughts with the opposition, but, well…
” He sighs. “In your case I’m willing to make an exception.
You see, Ash, I wanted to know your strengths, and it looks like you don’t have any,” he says with a sinister chuckle.
“Where’s John McConkey when you need him? ”
“This isn’t Irish mafia business.”
“Are you sure about that?” Ilya asks. “We built our stables on the ruins of one of his distribution hubs, but he isn’t seeking retribution. Between you and I, I think he’s lost his nerve. There’s no fight left in him, and it’s only right that he steps down with his pride still intact.”
“Underestimate him at your peril,” Ash warns.
“Fine words, but his absence doesn’t back up your threat. Even if he did have the guts to challenge my uncle, he wouldn’t win. I’m only one of the generals at his disposal, and I could crush the McConkeys on my own. Obviously, not as easily as I could crush you, but still.”
“Says someone who’s too scared to face me in person,” Ash replies.
Ilya’s tone is oily smooth when he says, “I was occupied with other matters. Procreation can be far more rewarding than destruction.”
The phone burns in my hand and I raise it, ready to smash it against the wall. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
Ash steps forward and takes the phone. “The fact that you’re still talking Ilya, suggests you have more to say.”
“I do,” he replies, his voice brimming with excitement.
“We’ve talked about strengths, now let’s turn to your weaknesses, although they were pretty obvious from the start.
I must admit, I was disappointed not to add Maddison and Lily to my stable, but I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Quinn. She really is quite the prize.”
I’m shaking with so much anger and fear that my legs are ready to buckle. Ash puts an arm around me to keep me steady. He holds the phone at arm’s length as if the distance will make Ilya’s words less excruciating to hear.
“Oh, please, tell him not to sob,” Ilya says. “She hasn’t been violated if that’s your concern. Like I said, Quinn’s turned out to be quite special. I have a feeling she’s going to be the glue that binds our two organizations together. Your family have skills we could certainly exploit.”
“Not going to happen,” says Hunter.
“Hmm, I see the issue,” Ilya says. “Quinn clearly means a lot to Reid, but after her most recent betrayal, I’m guessing she doesn’t have the unconditional loyalty of the rest of you. The fact that Hunter and Mason are there at all is a testament to your brotherly love.”
“Fuck you, asshole,” says Mace.
“That’s no way to speak to a potential partner,” Ilya says. “Nor is it appropriate language for an uncle to be using.”
We all know how Ilya likes to play his mind games, but my brain must be glitching. There are similarly confused expressions on my brothers’ faces. I straighten up.
“You didn’t know she was pregnant, Reid?” Ilya asks. “Oh, dear, I hope I haven’t put my foot in it. I was assuming you were the father, but maybe that gardener got to tend her pretty little garden before you did.”
I ignore the suggestion that Quinn slept with Jason, but dismissing the possibility that she’s pregnant isn’t so easy. Or is it? “She would have told me if she were pregnant.”
“Maybe. Or perhaps she doesn’t know. According to the doctor, she’s in the very early stages,” he explains. “Ooh, does that mean I get to break the good news to her?”
“You fucking sick bastard,” says Hunter. “We’re going to enjoy tearing you limb from limb.”
“No, you’re going to treat me with the respect due to your future niece or nephew’s guardian,” Ilya replies.
“Clearly, we all need a period of adjustment, and I’m a reasonable man.
If you need nine months and a DNA test before you’re ready to commit, I can persuade my uncle to be patient.
I promise, we’ll treat Quinn like a veritable princess.
If we then discover the baby isn’t Reid’s, we’ll deal with mother and child as we see fit. No hard feelings.”
I sway on my feet. Quinn’s safe for now, and we have nine months to find her.
Assuming this isn’t some twisted game of Ilya’s.
How can Quinn be pregnant? We always used protection, except for that first time. And even then, I withdrew before…
Mace’s comment from the other day comes to mind about precum and sperm. Shit. I could have got Quinn pregnant. Under better circumstances, I’d be wrapping her in my arms and telling her we’d figure this out together. I’d promise her that we could make it work, that a new life is worth celebrating.
But celebrating is the last thing on my mind. “And when it’s confirmed that the baby’s mine?”
“It’s sweet that you have such faith in Quinn,” Ilya says.
“If I do have a little Griffin baby in my possession, then all things are possible. I could be persuaded to return Quinn when she’s of no further use to me.
Naturally, the baby would stay with us, and as long as we had your continued cooperation, we could provide little updates. ”
“You’re all heart,” says Mace.
“I’d like to think so, and on that note, I’ll say goodnight.”
“Wait, I want to speak to her!” I say, making a grab for the phone, but Ash shows me the screen. Ilya’s hung up.
“No one speaks,” he says, gesturing to the door.
As we all file out, Ash strides ahead, hands in his pockets and his head down, deep in thought.
Hunter and Mace fall in beside me. They each press a hand to my shoulder and the combined weight should pull me down, but it lifts me.
We trek back through the woods in silence, and I cling to the image of Quinn with our baby, and me holding both of them.
It’s too much to hope for, but it’s hope I didn’t have half an hour ago.
When we reach the SUV, Ash is waiting. Mace and Hunter climb in, and I’m about to follow when Ash hauls me back. He slams the car door shut, then slams me up against it.
“Next time I give you a fucking order, you obey!” he roars, jabbing a finger into my chest. “You could have wiped us all out with your stupid, reckless behavior!”
I square my shoulders. “This is my fucking fight!” I yell back at him.
It’s as much of a shock to me as it is to Ash that I’m answering him back, but I keep talking while he’s still deciding how to react.
“I don’t want or expect any of you to take unnecessary risks, but as far as I’m concerned, Quinn’s worth dying for.
I’ll scorch the earth to find her, and you’d better not stand in my way. I’m not a damn kid anymore.”
“I know you’re not, Reid, because you’re about to become a fucking father!
” He shakes his head. Doesn’t speak. “Fuck,” he says under his breath, and then I see it.
The curve of his lips that wants to tug into a smile.
“We’re with you, brother, all the way. We’ll get Quinn back, and I promise you now, we’ll be the ones treating her like a fucking princess. ”