She relaxes a bit when he gives her a smile. "I'll talk to you later, Ward," he calls over his shoulder as he leaves the room.
"Come in, Quinn. Close the door." I watch as she does just that, take a few steps towards me before pausing, looking nervous. She chews on her lip, one hand on her prominent stomach, rubbing it in soothing circles. "Do you want to sit down?"
She shakes her head. "No, I'm fine." Rolling her lips into her mouth, she looks around the office, obviously not making eye contact with me.
"What's wrong, Quinn?”
Finally, her gaze meets mine, and in it I see fear. I don't like seeing that expression on a woman's face, especially one under my protection. "I…I heard some things, and if they're true, I needed to come forward about...something."
My pulse quickens slightly as my brow furrows. What could she possibly need to come forward about? "What is it that you heard?" I ask carefully, keeping my tone even.
Her breath in is shaky. "I heard some of the guys mention...The Forgotten?" It takes her longer than it should to get the name out, and I see something flash across her features. Panic.
Immediately my guard is up, but not towards her. "What do you know about The Forgotten, Quinn?"
The panic rises in her, and I can see that, whatever she needs to say, is tearing her up inside. "I--" She stops, looking down at her stomach, rubbing it gently still as if to soothe her baby, when it's clearly her that is feeling the agitation. "Is it true that they may have had something to do with the bombing?"
Mentally I curse my men. They know they aren't supposed to talk about club business where others might hear, especially the girls, for no other reason aside from not getting them worked up and scared.
"I can't discuss that with you, Quinn. But if you have any information on them, it would really help us to know." I pause, before continuing carefully. "Did you have something to do with The Forgotten before you came to us?"
About four months ago, Quinn had come to us with nowhere else to go. She had told me at the time that someone had let her know that we took girls in exchange for services and that she was willing to do whatever we wanted for a place to live and protection. When she informed me that she was pregnant and just needed help getting back on her feet, I hesitated to welcome her in as a sweetie. It's obvious now that she had a different relationship with most of us that differs from the other Sweeties, but there had always been something about Quinn. While I didn't know details about what she was running from, I knew that whatever it was scared the hell out of her.
Since then she had grown from that scared, desperate girl to a confident, happy woman, forming relationships and getting ready to be a mom, but how she's standing here now reminds me of the first day she came to us for help.
"Well..." She bites her lip, chewing at it nervously. "Yes." Shame crosses her face as she looks down. "And I might be the reason they're coming after the club."
CHAPTER 38
WARD
TEARS START TO ROLL down Quinn's cheeks after her confession, but I'm stuck where I stand, momentarily stunned.
"Why would you be the reason they're coming after us, Quinn?"
I see the panic starting to take over as she brushes away her tears and begins to explain herself. "My father and brothers are members. So is..." she trailed off, her hand going back to her stomach. She doesn't need to say it to know that the father of her child belongs to the organization as well. "That's why I needed somewhere to go. I couldn't stay there." Shaking her head, hysteria is clearly starting to set in. "I'm so sorry, Ward. I didn't think...I didn't think they'd go this far. Or even figure out where I was. But I couldn't stay there. Especially not -- not with my baby."
My heart is breaking for this girl, but I know I have to keep her talking. She may just be our only link to the organization. "What did they do to you, Quinn? Why did you need to leave?"
Taking a deep breath, a small sob escapes her mouth as she tries to steady herself. "They… they're not good people. At all. Obviously, since they bombed your warehouse." Her last sentence was muttered, almost to herself. "They kept me like a prisoner and they..." She trailed off again, the fear flashing in her eyes as she glanced up at me. "I- Things happened. I don't...really want to talk about it."
My blood boiled as I filled in the blanks. "You don't have to."
Wiping her tears, she nodded. "Thank you. When I found out I was pregnant, though, I knew I had to leave. I couldn't let my baby be raised around them. The things they teach kids... It's such a violent environment."
I couldn't just stand there anymore and let her go on about something that had clearly been traumatizing for her. Walking towards her, I reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "You did the right thing by leaving, Quinn. It was brave and selfless of you."
Swallowing hard, she looked up at me, her eyes still filled with tears. "But now I brought this to you guys. I don't know how they found me, but I should have gone further. I just couldn't." She shook her head. "I had nothing, this was as far as I could go. I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
"Quinn." My voice was stern, only to show her how serious I was. "This isn't your fault. Not even a little bit. I don't blame you, and neither will the rest of the guys."
Her breathing is shaky and she sniffles. "I'll go back, so they leave the club alone. So nothing else happens."
A flash of anger runs through me. "Absolutely not." The way my words come out makes her jump slightly, but I take the opportunity to place both of my hands on her shoulders and look her in the eye. "You're not going back there. Ever. You're one of us now, Quinn, and we're going to protect you. We'll take all of them out and you won't have to worry about them ever again."
As my words sank in, Quinn's eyes widened, filling with shock, but also admiration. Her lower lip trembled. "Are you serious?"
"Dead fucking serious."
Her head hung as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. "Thank you so much," she barely got out, and I pulled her into a hug.
"I promise, Quinn. You and your baby will be taken care of." Maybe I shouldn't have made that promise, but there was no way I was going to leave this poor girl thinking that she was in danger and that she was the reason the rest of us were as well. I wasn't lying about her being one of us, and we take care of our own. I rub her back to soothe her. "Once you're feeling up to it, we're gonna need everything you can tell us about The Forgotten, is that alright?"
I feel her nod against my chest, and she starts to pull back. "Okay. I guess everyone is going to have to know."
Frowning, I nod. "They will. But if it'll make you feel better, I can keep this to only the officers until it's taken care of?"
Recognition flashes in her gaze before she eagerly nods, and I smile. " For now, go relax. Get something to eat, drink some water, and try not to worry too much. We're gonna take care of this."
Quinn seems lighter now after getting her secret out. "Okay." Lifting her hands, she wipes her tears away, sliding her fingertips underneath her eyes, which are dark with circles, indicating that she hasn't been sleeping well. "Thank you again, Ward. I can't express what this means to me."
Placing my hand on her back, I guide her towards the door. "I know. Just take care of yourself and the baby and we'll call it even."
With a smile, she nods back at me. "Okay," she says before opening the door and heading out of my office.
I stay back for a minute, feeling the weight of what Quinn just told me settling on my shoulders. I didn't like this at all. We may be a hundred steps closer to paying The Forgotten back for the bombing, but it just became even more personal.
Leaving my office, I walked down the hall, looking for one person in particular. Telling the others what I had just learned could wait. Everyone was busy settling in anyway, and I wanted to give Quinn time to relax and rest a little before she had to relive the horrors of her past life in front of seven other men.
Catching a flash of red hair as it passes the doorway behind the bar, a grin appears
on my face, my feet taking me there before my brain even gives them a command. "Hey, beautiful, got a minute?" I called, leaning against the edge of the wood top.
Leah walks backward, back into view, and her face lit up when she spotted me. "Hey, handsome. I've got all the minutes for you." Moving forward, she leans on her toes over the bar and I press a kiss to her lips. She goes to lean back but I deepen the kiss, letting my tongue dance with hers briefly
"Come around here." I motion one hand to her and grin as she slides around the bar to meet me. "How are things? Everyone settling in well?"
"Good, actually!" I can't help but admire her as she leans in to me, looping her arms around my waist. She looks like effortless perfection in her leggings and a yellow tied button-down shirt, her bright red hair pulled up in a messy bun on her head and not a stitch of makeup on her face. "I've got Kim and your parents in rooms by Bear and Ronnie's families, so the kids will be near one another. The Sweeties seem to be doing fairly well in their close living quarters and haven't caused any trouble yet. We're still waiting on others, but for now, we're pretty good. We're gonna be setting up lunch soon."
The admiration for my woman grows tenfold as I listen to her speak. I never realized just how amazing it would feel to have an old lady and to see her take on the outside tasks for my club, but it was fucking incredible. Just knowing that my woman could take on the important and necessary duties and be a leader gives me so much fucking pride.
"Great work, baby. I'm proud of you," I said before I kissed her forehead.
"Thank you.” She beams. “I really wanted this to go smoothly.”
"I knew it would." I kiss her again, and after a moment, it occurs to me that my woman was the best person to confide in about Quinn. “Listen, babe,” I start, dropping my voice and looking around to make sure we’re alone.
Leah looks at me, concerned. “What’s up?”
“I need you to look after Quinn. I can’t tell you everything, but she’s going through a really rough time right now, and I don’t want her to be alone in this. Especially because of the baby, I don’t want her to get too stressed.”
Her eyebrows furrow. “Is she alright?”
I nod, not wanting to alarm Leah too much. “She will be. Just some stuff came up about her past. She wants to keep it quiet, so let her tell you if she wants. Just be there for her and make sure she rests and eats, okay?”
“Alright.” A small smile appears on Leah’s face as she tilts her head up to me. “I love how much you care about people, Ward Gibson.”
“Guess we make a great team, don’t we?”
As I watch her smile spread wide, “We really do.”
CHAPTER 39
LEAH
INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE to check on Quinn right away, I ended up getting caught in the whirlwind of hungry kids and eager adults that just wanted to get them calmed down and fed. Rita, Lana, and I along with a few of the Sweeties set out a buffet of food for everyone. I was so busy serving and bringing out new trays of food that the front doors bursting open makes me jump to attention.
"Leah! Tell this big a--" Camilla stopped in mid-rant when she realized that she was in front of a room full of people, with a good number of them being children. "Big jerkface to mind his manners and get his big mitts off my things. I can take care of myself!" My best friend and roommate stood just inside the front doors, with her purse hooked on one arm and a cat carrier in her other hand.
DT, the jerkface in question, was in the doorway, holding a number of matching bags that I knew belonged to Camilla. "I've told her a dozen times, I was under strict orders to make sure she got here with whatever she needed for lockdown."
"And I told him that I didn't need to be under lockdown! I have a million things to take care of that require me to not be locked up in here like a prisoner. And!" she added with fervor, "he started going through my drawers and tossing things on my bed!"
DT was walking inside now, pulling her bags along with him. "That's because you refused to pack, and I knew you'd be pissed if I hauled you over my shoulder with just the clothes on your back."
If looks could kill, DT would have dropped right there and then by the glare that Camilla shot him. "You wouldn't dare."
He shot a look at her, his eyebrows raised. "Try me."
The raging, raven-haired girl I knew so well continued to glare at the much larger man in a leather cut, before shooting a look to me. "Ward couldn't have sent Moose? He's nicer. And hotter."
I have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. "Cam," I finally say once I forced it down, "I agreed with Ward when he said you needed to be here." Camilla's eyes widened and she gasped dramatically as if I had betrayed her. "You're in this, too. You're the third partner in the business, you live with us, and you're associated with the club." Looking around at prying eyes, I stepped closer to her and dropped my voice, not wanting the kids to hear me. "Whether you like it or not, you're at risk. We just want you safe."
Though I know that she wants to keep fighting, she relaxes and then sighs again. "Fiiiiiine," she drags out, never missing an opportunity to add in the drama.
"And we plan on getting work done here, too, so you don't have to worry about that. Now go get your stuff upstairs and then come get lunch. And let DT help you," I add quickly before she gets any other ideas.
Rolling her eyes, Camilla adjusts her bag on her arm. "Fine. Bossy." But I knew she was joking. With a flourish, she starts walking towards the stairs. "Come on you big brute, make yourself useful."
Grumbling, DT follows her reluctantly. I turn around, spotting Lana standing a few feet away.
"Those two are totally gonna end up banging, aren't they?"
"Oh yeah," I answer my sister.
During all of lunch, Quinn never made an appearance, so I decided to go upstairs and take lunch to her. I got a tray to put the plate filled with food on, along with napkins, utensils, and a bottle of water.
Finding Quinn's room, I balance the tray so I can knock softly. After a moment, I listen and quietly call her name. "Quinn? It's Leah."
I figured that if she is sleeping I’d just leave her lunch inside, but the thought is rendered useless when the door opens. Quinn appears in the entryway, looking exhausted and a little pale, though she gives me a soft smile. "Hey, sorry, I was laying down."
"Oh, don't be sorry," I reply, shaking my head, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I wanted to bring you lunch so you didn't have to come all the way downstairs." I motion to the tray in hand.
Quinn eyes it and gives me another weary smile. "Thank you." Stepping back, she pulled the door open further. "Do you wanna come in?"
"Sure!" My answer is bright with a wide smile, an attempt to cheer her up. Walking inside, I set the tray down on the desk. "I grabbed you a little of everything."
I turn to look over my shoulder at Quinn. She stands there, one hand on her belly, eyeing the food. "That's sweet. You didn't have to come up here with it. I'm really not even that hungry."
Giving her a comforting smile, I shrug my shoulders. "Well, it's here for you." I don't want to push it on her or treat her like a child by insisting she eat something, but I'm not going to take it back downstairs. I'd rather know that she has the food up here with her to eat when she's ready.
After a moment of silence, I decide to speak. "How are you doing?"
With a knowing half-smile, Quinn makes her way to the bed, sitting down carefully, her hand rubbing her belly absentmindedly. "I'm okay. Did Ward send you to check up on me?"
Busted. "He suggested it, but I was going to come and see how you were doing anyway.”
Something crosses her features that I can't quite pick up, and she's wearing an almost sad smile. "He's really a great guy." She looks at me. "You're really lucky."
"I know." Looking around the room, I decided to take a seat in the chair at the desk. "You know you can talk to me about anything, Quinn, and it won't leave this room. I promise. I'll even just listen if you want to just get it all
out."
As she mulls over my offer, Quinn's shoulders relax slightly, but instead of appearing calmer, they slump forward as she looks down. "I know. I'm just..." She trails off, thinking of what to say next. "Ashamed?"
Furrowing my brow, I cocked my head to the side in question. "What would you have to be ashamed about?" Ward hadn't told me the details of what was going on, so I had no indication that she would be feeling any kind of shame.
Lifting her head to glance at me, Quinn shrugged. "Maybe nothing. It certainly feels that way."
Shifting in my chair, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the tops of my thighs. "Quinn, you don't have to hold this all in. We're here to help you. You're one of us."
A flash of a smile plays on her lips as she catches my gaze again. "That's what Ward said."
"That's because it's true."
That gives her pause, and I watch as she weighs her options in her head, whether to tell me what is going on or not, before her back straightens and she lifts her chin. "Okay. I have to talk to the guys about it later, and I'm sure it'll get out."
"My past. What I ran from...it was bad. Really bad, and now, I think they found me, and they're making the club hurt because of it." She chews at her lip, unable to look directly at me. "I left when I found out I was pregnant because I couldn't let my baby grow up around them. The Forgotten are awful..." I realized then that her hands are trembling. She took a deep, shaky breath. "They treat other races and religions like the enemy, they're terrible to women, and the things they teach the kids..." Quinn shook her head, lifting one hand to drag through her light brown hair. "They're unpredictable. I should have known that I hadn't gone far enough, I should have known that they wouldn't let me go." Finally, she looks at me, and I can see the anguish and terror in her eyes. "And now it's all my fault. Ward told me not to think that way, but I know it is. If I hadn't come here, the warehouse wouldn't have been bombed. And I just know this isn't the end. I'm terrified of what they'll do next. What if-- What if someone gets hurt because of me?"
Heart of a Rebel: Rebel Aces MC Part 1 Page 21