I nodded for him to continue.
“I couldn’t get the man harassing her behind bars... he killed her, Quinn. I couldn’t help her.”
I gasped.
“I know it’s no excuse.” He shrugged helplessly. “Maybe I can think of another way to help them.”
“Harrison,” I breathed.
It all makes sense...
“I’ll talk to you soon,” he promised as he stepped out the door.
I nodded at him, my newly invigorated mind already thinking through the possibilities.
***
Ellerslie came over as soon as Harrison left.
“Are you going to take him back?” she asked as she mixed the sauce for the macaroni cheese she was making me.
I could hear Stella chattering in the living room with Lawson and Logan – they were watching the game.
“I don’t think I can until I figure this out. I know he’s the one who screwed everything up, but I can’t just stand here and be the one to take something that means so much away from him.”
“There must be another way,” she replied absently, deep in thought.
I smiled. That was the best thing about Ellerslie. She just accepted my thoughts and ideas and offered help, not criticism.
“I love you, El.”
She stopped stirring and looked at me in question.
“Just... thank you for not giving up on me,” I clarified.
She snorted. “Giving up?” She started stirring again. “I’d never give up on you, Q. Just like you’ve never given up on me.”
Emotion threatened to overwhelm me. “Okay... back to the ideas before I cry... again.”
El giggled. “Okay. You know what? I think we need help.”
***
“What are you two up to?” Reeve flicked his gaze between the two of us in question.
I wrung my hands together. I was so jittery. Coming here was incredibly nerve-wracking for me, it would have been enough that Harrison was somewhere in this building, but combine that with the fact that Reeve hadn’t seen me in this... state... and I was a wreck.
Ellerslie had called and given him the hard word not to make a big deal about the way I looked. I’d heard her on the phone, and then pretended I hadn’t.
I looked at El and she waved her hand at me to talk. “This is your brainwave.”
Reeve looked back to me.
I’d slept for fourteen hours straight after El had stuffed me full of the most amazing macaroni cheese I’d ever tasted, and when I’d woken first thing this morning, finally feeling somewhat rested, the idea had hit me like a freight train.
“Have you spoken to Harrison?” I asked him timidly. This was the only part of the plan I was uncertain about. I still didn’t know if Harrison had told Reeve what was going on, and I wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of being the one to have to tell him.
“I’ve spoken to him.” He rocked back in his chair and stared at me.
Does he know?
I stared back, trying to search his face for answers.
“What did he tell you?” I pressed.
“What did he tell you?” Reeve countered.
“You tell me what he—”
“Oh for the love of god,” Ellerslie interrupted me. “You’re both very loyal. Now did he tell you about going around and beating up the bad guys or not?” she demanded, looking right at her brother.
His body sagged in relief. “Thank Christ.”
He knows.
“Okay... so now that’s cleared up...” I interjected.
“Is that not what you’re here to talk about?” Reeve asked me in disbelief.
I shrugged. “Yes... and no.”
He shook his head like I was crazy. “Is it a full moon or something?” he muttered to himself.
I held back a smile.
I carried on. “Okay. So obviously what Harrison has been doing is a problem.” I tugged at the hem of my dress, avoiding his gaze.
Understatement of the century.
Reeve snorted.
“A huge problem,” I amended. “But I want him back in my life,” I told him with certainty, meeting his eyes again.
Reeve smiled at me and reached out to squeeze my hand.
“He’s a good man, Q. He’s made some terrible choices, but he’s not a bad guy.”
“I know,” I replied quietly. “And that’s why I can’t ask him to stop doing something that’s so important to him.”
Reeve dropped my hand and looked between El and I, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re all fucking crazy.”
“Oh, shut up,” El threw back at him, reclining into her chair and crossing one leg over the other. “Do you seriously think we’re talking about telling him to run around throwing punches and getting hurt?” She was in full-blown sarcasm mode.
“We’ve got an idea,” I jumped in, before the siblings really got arguing. “And we need your help.
“I’m all ears,” he replied warily, as if he was actually anything but.
I rolled my eyes. “Little faith, Reeve?”
The corners of his mouth twitched, and he nodded for me to get started.
I fidgeted nervously.
Here goes nothing...
I took a deep breath.
“We want to set up some type of trust or charity, or foundation... whatever the correct term is, to help the kind of people Harrison has tried to protect. We want them to have the help of an amazing legal team, a safe place to stay and... just some support, for as long as it takes to get these pigs off the street, so they can feel safe again.”
Reeve was listening closely. “It’s a great idea...”
I could sense a ‘but’ coming.
“But we just don’t have the cash for those resources, not without draining our own pockets.”
I waved a hand at him dismissively. “If those resources, or the majority, were made available, would you be willing to contribute some of your time to the legal side of things? And maybe contribute some funds if they were short?”
I could see his brain ticking over.
He grinned at me. “You know I would. And I’d bet my life savings that Harrison would join the party too.”
I pushed the folder in front of me towards him. “It’s only rough figures,” I told him.
He opened the file and flipped through the contents, an even bigger grin spreading across his face.
“This is unbelievable,” he mused. “You’d do all this?” he asked, looking back and forth between the both of us.
“If it’s important to him, it’s important to me,” I told him.
“And if it’s important to her, it’s important to me,” El chimed in, a smile on her face.
“Well ladies...” Reeve handed me back the folder, his best ‘all business’ look on his face. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
El squealed and pulled me in for a hug.
Reeve fixed his eyes on mine over El’s shoulder. “You’re an amazing woman, Quinn. I’ll make sure he never forgets how lucky he is.”
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry...
I felt a tear slip down my face.
Dammit!
52. Harrison
I’d felt on edge all afternoon, I had a feeling someone was watching me. I knew I was being stupid. I was in my office, alone, twenty stories up in the air.
No one was watching me.
But my nerves were fried after the day I’d had.
After spilling my guts to Reeve and apologizing profusely, I’d stormed my way into Max’s hangout near midday and surprised the hell out of him. It had been a tense standoff, surrounded by his henchmen. I was grateful for the police I knew were listening intently with the wire I had strapped to my chest.
It had been touch and go for a while, but I’d got out of there unscathed, and I had somehow convinced him to explain how he’d pulled the whole thing off – unknowingly sealing his fate in a jail cell.
You’ve got balls, kid. You ever get
sick of jerking off to the law; you know where to find me.
It seemed too easy; I’d been expecting some form of retaliation all afternoon. I half expected them to kill me on the way out, given all the information I’d acquired.
Anthony was of the belief that I wasn’t worth the risk of being finished off, Max had no idea I was willing to throw myself under the bus in order to get him behind bars, and there was no way I could have him convicted without doing exactly that.
Thankfully I’m safe from the bus.
His entire confession was in the hands of Detective Anthony Rodgers now, and I knew it was going to be more than enough to get Max put away for life.
I’d had just one request... I wanted to know as soon as he was in custody. I wanted to be able to tell Quinn that I was safe... that we were safe... that it was all over.
Quinn.
I was struggling without her. Having her in my arms yesterday, even frail and exhausted was the best thing I’d experienced in a long time. I needed to know if she would forgive me and give me another shot. I’d agreed to give her a couple of nights to sleep and think, but I knew it was a promise I wouldn’t be able to keep.
If I didn’t hear from her by the end of the day, I was going around there and fighting for my woman.
My damn woman.
My cell rang, and I snatched it up, hopeful it was her.
The only other name I wanted to see flashed across my screen.
My whole body tensed involuntarily as I answered the call.
“Tell me it’s good news, Anthony,” I demanded without any form of greeting.
“Hello to you too, sunshine.”
I huffed out a breath and spun my chair to face the glass behind me.
“Cut the shit.”
He chuckled, and I couldn’t help but let a small smile play on my lips.
“We got him.”
My whole body relaxed.
“Not just him, half his crew. Thanks to those names he dropped this morning, we were able to offer a deal to one of those lowlifes... and he sang like a bird. It’s over, Harrison.”
Half his crew?
This was big. Shit, this was huge.
My body warmed with something I hadn’t felt in myself for a long time... pride.
“That’s a lot of scum off the street,” I stated, unable to think of anything better to say through my elation.
“Yeah... and on top of that he was in the middle of a deal with none other than Tiger Bronson, so we nabbed him too.”
“This is big,” I stated.
“It’s huge. And I’d say that has a lot to do with you.”
I shook my head in disagreement. “I’m just glad it’s done. I’ve got more important shit to focus on now.”
“You sure do.” He whistled low. “That’s one hell of a pretty little lady you’ve got yourself there, kid.” His voice was warm.
What the hell?
“Quinn?” I asked in confusion.
How the fuck does he know?
“The one and only,” he confirmed.
“Gotta make me work for it don’t you, asshole?” I groaned.
He chuckled through the line, waiting for me to give in and ask.
I folded. “How the hell do you know my girl?”
“She brought herself down to the station,” he stated.
Just when I thought he was going to make me drag it out of him bit by bit, he carried on.
“Got a bit of a project going on does sweet Quinn... but I’ll let her tell you about that.”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Wha–”
I was interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared. I spun around in my chair and was completely mesmerized by the sight in front of me.
“I gotta go,” I mumbled down the phone.
“I bet you do.” I heard the detective laugh before I hung up the phone.
I tossed it onto the desk.
“Quinn,” I breathed.
She was wearing a white dress that looked at least a size too big, but even so, she took my breath away.
“Sorry.” She smiled shyly. “Important call?”
She stepped into the room.
“Huh?” I asked, the call forgotten.
She pushed the door shut and turned back to me.
“Can I sit?” she asked softly, gesturing to the chairs on the far side of my office.
“Yes.” I scrambled out of my seat. “Yeah... of course.”
I rushed to her side and guided her slender frame to sit in one of the seats at the small table.
She smiled up at me with excited eyes and I froze. I knew right then and there that I’d never seen anything as perfect as she was.
I’d go to hell and back if that’s what it took to keep her happy...hell, I’d arrange a one-on-one with Satan himself if that’s what I had to do.
Anything for her.
My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest at the realization that I was staring at the most important thing in my life. She was right here.
“You gonna ask why I’m here or what?” She was regarding me curiously, not entirely sure what to make of my momentary freeze.
I shook my head as I dropped my body into the chair next to her.
“I don’t care why.” I reached out and took one of her hands in mine, elated when she didn’t stop me or pull away. “I’m just happy that you’re here.”
She smiled softly at me.
“God, Quinn I’ve missed you so much.”
She squeezed my hand. “I’ve missed you too.”
“Does this mean you’ll give me another chance?” I blurted out, my voice full of hope. I was so desperate to be near her, hold her again, kiss her, to be inside her. I was hoping like hell, praying to a god I wasn’t sure I believed in, that she felt the same way.
She stared at me for a few beats, her face unreadable. “You really haven’t been listening, have you?” she asked quietly.
She’s leaving me.
My stomach dropped. “I’ve been listening, Skippy. I’m here, I’m so sorry.”
I grabbed her other hand in mine, clasping both together now.
“Please, Quinn, please,” I begged, my voice breaking, my mind going mad with the idea of watching her walk away from me again.
“Please don’t leave me again,” I whispered, staring at her hands in mine.
“Harrison,” she whispered, shock evident in her tone. “I’m not going anywhere.” She squeezed my hands tightly.
She’s staying?
My head snapped up, meeting her gaze.
“But you said I wasn’t lis–”
“You weren’t listening,” she replied.
“I don’t get it?” I shook my head in confusion.
“All I want is you,” she replied simply. “It’s what I’ve been saying all along... all I’ve ever wanted since the moment I laid eyes on you, is you, Harrison. You’re it for me and I don’t want to be apart from you ever again.”
Her green eyes were focused and clear.
“But you asked for time? To think about what you wanted?”
She shook her head. “I wanted time, yes... but not to think about us.”
I frowned.
Anthony...
Got a bit of a project going on does sweet Quinn...
“I wanted to figure out how to make you happy, Harrison,” she carried on.
“Having you,” I answered without hesitation. “Having you is all I need to be happy.”
She smiled but otherwise ignored me. “I’ve been thinking... I need you. The last couple of months have been hell. Losing you was like losing half of me... I’ve never felt so lost in my whole life. But I want you to be happy and fulfilled. I don’t want anything coming between us like it did before.”
The knife of guilt tightened in my gut.
“I’m a strong person, Harrison,” she added quietly.
She was strong. She was the strongest woman I’d ever met.
“But I haven’t been strong lately. You changed me... made me weaker...”
I grimaced.
She squeezed my hands again. “But in a good way. You’ve made me softer, more feeling. I’m still strong, or at least I’m getting there. I just want to be strong with you.”
“I promise you, I’m here. I’ll never force you to leave again.”
She nodded and smiled.
We stared at one another for what seemed like forever. I could sit here and look at her for the rest of my life. These past few months, not seeing her beautiful face, was like torture.
“I have three conditions,” she finally said, her voice more light-hearted now.
“Anything. I agree.” I grinned.
“Now that’s not very smart, Mr. Hunt. You’re a lawyer, you should know better than to agree to terms you haven’t heard.”
I chuckled. It was so good to hear her teasing me again.
“I retract my previous statement, Your Honor.” I nodded at her to carry on.
“Condition one,” she began. “You never lie to me again.” She swallowed.
Done.
“The only secret I ever want you keeping is if you decide to propose one day,” she added with a giggle.
“Agreed,” I replied, my mind racing at the thought of getting on one knee and asking her to be my wife.
“Condition two... no shutting me out. If you have a shitty day, you lose a case... whatever. You talk to me instead of pushing me away.” She looked so vulnerable in that moment, like the thought might bring her to tears.
“I promise,” I told her softly.
She took a deep breath, pulled her hands from mine and reached for her bag, pulling out a manila folder and placing it on the table in front of me.
“Condition three?” I asked.
She nodded, her hand still resting on top of it. “If it’s not what you want, then we’ll find another way, okay?”
“Okay?” I replied, unsure of what to say, I had no idea what this folder could possibly contain.
She slid it closer to me and wrung her hands together nervously, pulling away from me.
I reached for the arm closest to me and pushed my chair right up against hers, holding her close against me.
I opened the folder and scanned the information, using my free hand to flip the pages.
This can’t be...
“Is this... what I think it is?” I gaped, barely able to string the words together.
Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4) Page 66