by Sarah Bailey
“I also ran tests with you whilst we were waiting for the x-rays and I do believe you have a mild concussion. I shall go over what you need to do but of course, I will come to see you and examine you again in a couple of days.”
Alekhin proceeded to run over everything we needed to know, like making sure Rory limited his activities for at least two days and having someone with him to check on him. I listened intently so I could relay the information to Quinn when we got back. But if he thought I wouldn’t be staying with Rory whilst he recovered, Quinn had another think coming.
André made sure I ate and had my tea, then Alekhin prescribed both of us pain meds and we got them from the pharmacy before we went home. I made sure to pick up Rory a snack for the car and had to help him eat it on the way home since he was too tired to do anything himself. My heart was in pieces seeing him like this, but remaining strong for him was all I could do.
André helped Rory up to the house whilst I unlocked the front door. I didn’t know where the others were, but figured they were busy since they didn’t come to meet us. André assisted me in getting Rory upstairs and onto the bed. Quinn appeared in the doorway. A good thing since I couldn’t help Rory into a change of clothes in my own injured state.
“I shall let Viktor know you’re both okay,” André said to me before he departed.
Quinn approached us cautiously.
“Can you help him get into something more comfortable?” I asked as I gathered up pillows and stacked them to elevate his wrist. “He needs to sleep.”
“What’s the prognosis, little girl?”
“Hairline fractures in both wrist bones and a mild concussion. Alekhin left strict instructions about his care.” He’d written them down for me, so I dug them out of my purse and handed them to Quinn. “He needs monitoring.”
Rory had been especially quiet whilst all of this had been going on. I could see the exhaustion plaguing his features.
“You can read it later, we need to settle him first.”
Wordlessly, Quinn popped the pages down on the bed before unstrapping the sling from Rory and helping him out of his t-shirt, jeans and shoes. He then tugged a clean t-shirt over Rory’s head and we got him on the bed under the covers with his arm propped up. Before Quinn could object, I stripped down to my knickers, grabbed another one of Rory’s clean t-shirts and climbed in next to him, resting my hand on his free arm. Rory gave me a half-smile before closing his eyes.
“You can’t stay here with him.”
I glared at Quinn.
“Yes, I can. He needs me. And I’m exhausted. Let us sleep, please.”
I could see Quinn wanted to object, but he shook his head and picked up the pages as he sat on the edge of the bed. Rory’s breathing turned steady and even, so I knew he’d drifted off. Quinn ran a hand through his hair, looking distinctly harassed.
“When I heard you couldn’t wake him up, I thought I’d lost him,” he said, his voice quiet and gruff.
“Quinn…”
“Rory means everything to me, little girl. He’s a brother to me. One I’ve taken care of our whole lives. A part of me would die if he did.”
I desperately wanted to reach out to him. His shoulders shook, but his back was to me so I couldn’t see his expression.
“I did it… you know… everyone who hurt him when he was a kid, I made sure Rory had his revenge against them. I made sure the four of us ended them for good.”
My voice got stuck in my throat. His foster parents… but no, Quinn meant everyone. That meant the kid who’d scarred Rory’s abdomen too and whoever else had been involved.
“They all begged for their lives at the end of it. Begged us not to. Said they were sorry.” He laughed, but it was hollow. “They weren’t sorry for burning him with an iron. They weren’t fucking sorry for beating him so badly, he couldn’t get out of bed for two days. They didn’t care how they scarred him physically, psychologically and emotionally. But I did. I cared so damn much. I saved him. I got him help from a psychologist. I made sure he didn’t implode. He didn’t deserve any of it. None. He did nothing but have the misfortune of his parents dying when he was too young to understand anything.”
Tears leaked out of my eyes, dripping down onto the pillow where I’d laid my head next to Rory. Next to the broken, damaged man I loved with my whole heart and soul.
“What did you do to them?” I whispered.
Quinn didn’t turn around. He placed the pages on the bed and dropped his head into his hands.
“What didn’t we do?”
I shivered.
“It was bloody and gruesome… depraved.”
“Quinn…”
“You don’t want the details, little girl. Trust me. Xav and E were sick when we were done. It reminded Xav of the aftermath of Julian’s crimes. Except none of us felt sorry for them. Not when we knew how they’d caused irrecoverable damage to Rory. And it gave him a sense of closure, you know. Rory, whilst still burdened with his memories, didn’t seem so… lost any longer. He had a reason to go on since we’d eradicated them from the world.”
I stroked Rory’s arm, staring at his peaceful face as he slept.
“I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“What? Knowing we’re all killers? That we’re capable of butchering people like Frank? It was a one time deal, Ash. One night where we didn’t hold back and then we got rid of the evidence. That part was worse than what we did to them. They’re unsolved missing person cases. No one knows they’re dead but us and now… you.”
It’s not like I’d tell anyone. Hell, I already was an accessory to murder because of Frank. Not like I wanted anyone asking questions of what I’d done in my life.
“I don’t care that you’ve killed. Do you think it’d make me love you all any less?”
“I don’t know. It’s why none of us wanted to tell you.”
“Then why tell me now?”
Maybe I was fucked up in the head. I guess my upbringing made it hard for me to judge them for it. Especially in light of what I knew about what Rory’s foster parents had done to him. And I wanted to murder the man who raised me before he could do the same to me. So who the hell was I to talk?
“Secrets have a way of coming out whether or not we want them to. Honesty is what you’ve always asked of us. Maybe I’m done hiding behind the shit I’ve done in life. Maybe almost losing you and Rory has made me realise just how fleeting everything is.”
He raised his head and turned it towards me, eyes dark and expression hollow.
“So you have to believe me when I tell you I won’t let this shit go on any longer. I want a normal life or as fucking normal as it can be with whatever we are. I want out of the criminal underworld. So two things need to happen. One, we get your mother away from Frank and two, Frank dies. That’s it. When it’s done, I’m fucking out. Il Diavolo retires and we go on with our lives away from all that bullshit. You, me, Xav, E and Rory. Together.”
I reached out my hand to him since I was too exhausted to move any longer. Quinn got up and came around the other side of the bed, sitting next to me and brushing my hair back from my face. He wiped away the tears under my eyes.
“I’ll give you anything you desire, little girl, just promise you’ll let me take care of the both of you.”
“I promise, Quinn… I love you.”
He looked exhausted himself and I didn’t want him to leave, but there wasn’t room in Rory’s bed for the three of us with the pillows propping up his arm. Leaning down, he kissed my forehead and tucked me up further under the covers.
“Sleep, I’ll be right here when you wake.”
So I closed my eyes, turning back to Rory and letting myself drift away on a sea of pain meds, knowing Quinn would watch over us. Whatever they’d done in the past didn’t matter to me. Our future was the thing we had to secure. Our future together as a quintet. The four of them and I were in this together until the end.
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br /> Chapter 3
I awoke to my shoulder being shaken. Blinking, I found Quinn leaning over me with concern on his face. Why was he waking me up? Didn’t he know the pain stopped when I was out? Why was it so bright in this room?
“What do you want?” I grumbled.
“Just checking to see if you’re still alive.”
“Do I look dead to you?”
“All right, grumpy, chill out.”
He straightened and grinned.
“Where’s Ash?”
He pointed to the form next to me, which I hadn’t noticed. Ash’s blonde hair poked out from under the covers. I might feel groggy and out of it, but having her there soothed me.
“How long have we been asleep?”
“Few hours… She needs waking up too as Eric’s made dinner.”
I looked at her again. My little star curled up against my side with her hand resting over my chest. How I hadn’t noticed her there before was beyond me, but then again, the doctor said I had a concussion.
“It’s too bright in here.”
“Sorry, hold on…”
Quinn turned on my bedside lamps before turning out the main light. After a few minutes, I didn’t feel so dazed. I shifted, pain shooting up my arm as I did so. The movement caused the girl next to me to rouse. She opened her eyes and rubbed my chest.
“Ror,” she breathed.
I attempted to smile, but my head was still fuzzy.
“Little girl, you need to help me sit him up as E’s bringing dinner up for you.”
She shifted and yawned before sitting up. Then the two of them helped me up with Ash fluffing the pillows behind me.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, rubbing my shoulder.
“Fucked.”
A smile played across her lips and I realised what she was thinking.
Dirty girl.
“Not like that.”
“I know.” She turned to Quinn. “Are we going to have to help him eat?”
“Depends on what E’s made.”
Being right-handed meant this would be a little intolerable. I’d let Ash feed me in the car earlier as her expression brokered no objections. Besides, I’d been exhausted. I didn’t want to be babied, but we’d been told I had to be monitored to make sure my symptoms didn’t worsen or for changes in my behaviour.
“Knock, knock.” Eric came in with a tray in his hands with two plates and two glasses of water. “Dinner for my invalids.”
“I’m not a fucking invalid,” I all but growled.
“Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of bed.”
I almost retorted but kept my mouth shut since he popped the tray down on my lap and it was mac and cheese. Something I could eat with one hand.
“Thank you.”
Eric smiled and turned to Quinn.
“You’ll have to go get your own, Xav’s watching TV so you can eat with him and I’ll sit with these two, yeah?”
Quinn looked like he was about to dispute Eric’s suggestion, but then he realised there was no point so he ambled out of the room. Eric sat down next to me, shifting the pillows where my arm was resting.
“Careful,” I muttered, even though he hadn’t disturbed my wrist.
“You going to be a baby and throw your food everywhere if I’m not?”
“Ha-fucking-ha.”
“At least you’ve not lost your sense of humour, eh?”
Ash shook her head and gathered up her bowl and started digging in. I picked up the spoon Eric had thoughtfully provided me with my left hand and scooped up a helping for myself, shoving it in my mouth before half of it fell off.
“Oh good, I don’t have to play the aeroplane game with you,” Eric said with a grin.
I scowled. Why these idiots were trying to wind me up when I was already feeling irritable was beyond me.
“Do you really have to be here when I have Ash?”
“She needs keeping an eye on too, in case you’d forgotten our girlfriend was in the same crash as you.”
I hadn’t. Turning to her, I found Ash giving me a soft smile.
“I’m okay, I promise. A little stiff, but Alekhin said it would be much worse for me tomorrow.” She glanced at Eric. “I hope Quinn won’t force me into my own room. I don’t want to leave Ror… unless he wants that.”
They both looked at me expectantly.
“Huh? No, she can stay… you can stay, little star… I want you here. Even if Quinn gets pissy.”
Ash’s grin made my heart thump, but I turned back to my meal since I was ravenous.
“I’m surprised Xav isn’t up here cracking jokes,” Ash said with a shake of her head.
“Trust me, I had a hard time making him go watch TV instead of us all piling in here for dinner. Didn’t think our Rory here would have appreciated it,” Eric replied.
I most definitely wouldn’t have. It was enough having two people in here at the same time. I couldn’t complain too much since I knew it was for my own good and for Ash’s. As much as I’d like to kick Eric out, her well-being was paramount to me. I couldn’t take care of her in my unsteady state.
“Xav actually listened to you? That’s a surprise.”
“He does on occasion… especially when bribed with sex.”
Ash snorted and almost spat her mouthful out. She swallowed hard and laughed, rubbing her chest.
“Oh god, don’t make me laugh… it hurts. Xav can’t ever resist the promise of sex.”
“The things I do for you.”
He waggled his eyebrows. It just set her off even more.
“Must be such a hardship to have sex with your boyfriend who you’ve been in love with our whole lives,” I muttered.
That made it worse for Ash. She clutched her chest and waved us both off.
“Stop, stop. I can’t take it… god, please, it hurts so much.”
“Should I get your pain pills?” Eric asked.
She gave a nod, all the while still trying to stifle her giggles. He got up and gathered the two bags we’d brought from the pharmacy off my bedside table, going through each one to familiarise himself with what we needed. Then he popped off two pills for Ash, handing them to her now she’d settled down.
“It is a hardship, you know. Xav is greedy as fuck,” he said as he sat back down.
“It’s true, he’s always in the mood and if he’s not, then you know something’s wrong with him,” Ash added.
“Spare me the sob story,” I said with an eye roll.
The two of them shared a glance. I wasn’t really surprised about Xav considering how he’d brag about his sexcapades to me, Eric and Quinn all the time. I swear between him and Quinn it was like a fucking competition as to who could get laid the most. And they had shared the same woman in the past, but never at the same time, as they had with Ash. She was different. We loved her. She was our fucking queen.
I continued eating as silence descended on us, albeit slowly as it was hard to fucking well eat with one hand. Eric ended up holding the bowl for me and I almost asked him to feed me, but I didn’t want to look or feel weak even if I felt it. Why I was worried about saving face in front of him and Ash was a mystery to me. It still felt wrong to ask other people for help, even if I needed it.
By the time I was finished, Quinn and Xav came upstairs and crowded into my room, leaving me feeling a little overwhelmed.
“How are my invalids feeling?” Xav asked as he stroked Eric’s hair mindlessly.
“Careful, Rory might bite your head off for calling him that,” Eric said, leaning into Xav’s touch.
“He’s grumpy and I’m okay,” Ash said, sorting out the empty plates onto the tray and helping me drink my water.
“Question… how long until both of you can get down and dirty again?” Xav asked with a wink.
“Fuck off,” I grumbled.
I didn’t want to be reminded of the fact I wasn’t allowed to do any strenuo
us activity. Having Ash in my bed and not being able to touch her? Yeah, that was going to be fucking painful.
“Is that really all you care about?” Ash said with a frown. “Your girlfriend is in pain and you turn it to sex?”
Xav’s face fell.
“Angel…”
“No, don’t you ‘angel’ me right now.”
He came around to her side of the bed and sat down, taking her face in his hands.
“I’m sorry, I don’t like seeing you in pain so I’m deflecting… I know.”
Ash let him kiss her before he leant his forehead against hers.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I just want you better.”
She nodded, stroking his cheek. I looked between Eric and Quinn, who was sitting on the end of my bed now.
“Can I ask if there’s a reason why you’re all crowding my bed at the same time?”
“I wanted to see Ash and this one is in mother hen mode,” Xav said, pointing at Quinn.
I almost sighed.
“Fuck off,” Quinn grumbled, scowling at him.
“Okay, all of you can shoo out of here now, Ror needs his rest,” Ash said, giving them all a look which told them no would not be the right answer.
Xav got up, ruffling her hair before saluting me. Then he grabbed Eric on the way out. The two of them were looking at each other like they were about to race to one of their bedrooms.
Yeah, definitely not a fucking hardship.
That left me, Quinn and Ash. And I wasn’t about to throw him out since I knew he wouldn’t listen.
“I’ll take this downstairs then I’ll be back,” Quinn said as he picked up the tray and left.
“Thank fuck for that,” I muttered.
Ash rubbed my arm and leant her head on my shoulder.
“Aww, Ror, they’re worried about us.”
“They can be worried somewhere else.”
She stroked my face but didn’t say anything. I was trying not to be irritable. Didn’t help my head was fuzzy and all I wanted to do was sleep.