“Shit!” he cursed, then sprang into action. Quinn lifted Selena into his arms, jumped to his feet and leaped to the platform. The train missed them by inches, and the force from the rushing air knocked them forward.
“Jesus Christ!” someone screamed.
“Ow! Get off me!”
“What the fuck?”
Quinn and Selena barreled into a group of tourists, landing on top of them. He quickly got up, pulling Selena with him. “Where the fuck is he?” he roared, looking around for the Lycan in the hoodie. But there was no sign of him. “Shit!” He sniffed the air, finding a small trace of the scent. Wolf perked up, urging him to go after him.
He dragged Selena by the hand, across the platform, and up the stairs. By the time they reached the outside of the station, the scent was gone.
“Fuck!” He slammed a fist against a wall. He had gotten away.
“Quinn,” Selena said, taking deep breaths. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Shit,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll explain later.” He looked around the street and spotted a cab coming toward them. “Let’s go to Killian’s place. He’ll need to hear about this.”
***
The cab took them across town to the East side, in the Kips Bay area of Midtown. Quinn had fired off messages on his phone the whole ride over as Selena sat silently beside him. She wasn’t sure if her heart was ever going to stop racing like a horse at the Kentucky Derby, but as she curled up against Quinn’s side, she felt a sense of calm, especially when she breathed in his aftershave. Quinn cuddled her closer but said nothing, his body rigid and stiff.
Something was very wrong, but if they were going to his brother’s place, she would find out what soon enough. When they arrived at the condo, it looked like Killian was already expecting them. He opened the door and led them inside. Luna was sitting on the leather couch, while Connor stood by the window across the living room, his face drawn into a scowl.
“Quinn! Selena!” Luna exclaimed as she struggled to get up. “What happened? Are you guys okay?”
Selena quickly strode over to her and gently stopped her. “We’re fine. Please, don’t get up.” She sat next to her, and Luna put an arm around her.
“Are you all right? Killian said you guys fell off the subway platform?” Luna asked.
“More like pushed off,” Quinn said, his expression tight with barely controlled anger.
It had happened so fast, Selena could barely remember. She closed her eyes. “I think … there was someone who pushed my back and sent us tumbling into the rails.”
“It was a Lycan.”
“Are you sure?” Killian asked.
“Yeah,” Quinn confirmed. “I smelled him. Like mildew and dirt.”
“Did you see his face?” Connor asked.
Quinn shook his head. “No, he had a hoodie pulled over his face and there were too many people.” His fists tightened at his sides. “I swear, if I see or smell the sonofabitch again, I’m going to kill him.”
Selena felt a chill creep up her arms at the deadliness in Quinn’s voice.
“We’ll ask for the clan’s help in identifying the Lycan,” Killian said. “Maybe if someone recognizes the scent, then we can find this guy.”
“I don’t think the wreck the other night was an accident,” Quinn said.
Selena gasped. “What do you mean?”
“One incident I could ignore, but two?” Quinn shook his head. “Someone’s out to get me.”
“Or Selena,” Killian pointed out. “You were together both times.” Killian’s turquoise gaze zeroed in on her. “Would you know anyone who’s trying to hurt you?”
She shook her head. “Certainly not. I mean, not a Lycan.”
“Your coven doesn’t have enemies?”
“None that I know of,” Selena began. “Most covens get along with each other. Marriages and alliances tend to strengthen the bond in the magical community.” Thoughts of her possible engagement popped into her head, but she ignored it. “And, as for Lycans, we keep tabs on where they are and who their Alpha is, but we try to stay out of their way.”
“Still, it might be good to look into your background.”
“Excuse me?” she said, raising her voice. “You will do no such thing.” No one was going to paw through her private life, especially not Quinn and his brothers. She looked at Quinn, wondering what his reaction would be.
“She’s right,” Quinn said. When Killian tried to speak, he raised a hand. “No, Killian. Selena has a right to her privacy.”
“Thank you,” Selena whispered in a relieved tone.
“I’m going to keep digging into the accident and maybe find some footage on the platform to see if we can spot this guy.”
“But what about Selena? What if someone is after her?” Luna asked in a worried voice.
“I’ll keep her safe,” Quinn said. “She’ll stay with me from now on.”
“What?” Selena shot to her feet. “I’m not going to live with you!”
“Well, if you won’t let us dig into your background to see if someone is trying to hurt you, then you need to be protected at all times. Besides, if someone has been following me, they know where you live by now since I’ve been going home with you for the past couple of days.”
Luna tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Selena. “Oh, is he?”
Selena ignored her. “Maybe I should stay away from you, then,” she challenged. “They don’t want me.”
“Or they could use you to get to Quinn,” Luna pointed out.
“It’s settled then,” Quinn announced. “You’re going to stay with me until we find whoever is out to get us.”
Selena’s jaw dropped, and she looked at Luna, Killian, even Connor, begging with her eyes for them to protest on her behalf. When no one spoke, she let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. But that means my house isn’t safe, either. Evie just got home today, so she’s all alone.” She put on a smug smile. “Maybe she can stay with Quinn, too.”
“Connor will look out for her,” Quinn countered.
“What?” Connor growled. “Evie can’t stay with me.”
“Jeez, don’t get your panties in a twist. I just mean, make sure she’s safe while she’s out and about. The security in their building is pretty solid, and I can even install an alarm system or a camera to monitor the front door. Evie should probably have a panic button of some sort, anyway, since she’s working for us.”
Connor looked at Killian, who nodded. He let out a curse under his breath. “Fine.”
“Good, it’s settled then. Quinn, you take Selena home and Connor, go and see if Evie’s okay.” As Connor turned to leave, Killian called out. “Don’t scare her, okay? Knock on the door and make sure she’s inside. Tell her what happened.”
“She might be worried if I don’t come home,” Selena added. “Please tell her I’m fine.”
Connor grunted in agreement and then left.
“What do we need to do to find out who’s after you?” Killian asked, his voice grave.
“I’ll take care of it,” Quinn replied. “And when I need you guys …”
“We’ll be there.”
***
Selena still couldn’t believe she had somehow been conned into staying with Quinn. “Are you kidding me?” she hissed at him as they left Killian’s place.
“What?” he said with a shrug. “Now we don’t have to sneak around. You have a legit, life-or-death reason to stay over at my place.”
“That’s not the point!”
“Then what is?” He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Selena, you could have been killed.” His voice was deadly serious.
“And you could’ve, too,” she countered.
“I’m a Lycan,” he pointed out. “Look, I can’t just stand by and wait for someone to hurt you. Luna’s right. Whoever’s trying to get to me has seen you two times now.”
She let out a sigh. “All right. When do you think you’ll find this guy?�
�
“I’m doing my best to finish this quickly.”
“Fine,” she said. “Let’s go to your place then. I can ask Evie to bring me a change of clothes when she comes in tomorrow.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, let’s go home.”
She followed him as he hailed a cab, and then they were on their way. Selena didn’t know why, but the way he said the word ‘home’ made her heart ache. A home with Quinn? That concept seemed alien somehow, but also … She shook her head. No, she wouldn’t go down that path. Whatever they were, it wasn’t going to last. They were having fun now, and when he got tired of her, he would leave her. When the next pretty face came along, he would drop her, just like all those other boys did. Quinn was a nice person, and he wanted to protect her from danger. That was all. Once it was over, they wouldn’t even have a reason to hang out.
The cab arrived in record time, and Quinn helped her out. Then they took the elevator up to his loft. As soon as they entered, he pushed her up against the door. “Now, kitten,” he said, his generous mouth spreading into a lascivious smile. “Where were we?”
Chapter Seventeen
Waking up with Selena in his arms was possibly the best feeling in the entire world. Well, second best, Quinn thought. First was being inside her, though he would keep that fact to himself. He wanted to have sex with her the whole night, but Selena looked tired. She’d had a long day, after all. They both did. The incident at the subway platform only cemented his suspicions that the car wreck the other night was a deliberate attempt on his life. Still, who would go through so much trouble to make his death look like an accident?
That’s what puzzled Quinn the most. He’d worked with some pretty nasty people in the past. When he did jobs, he didn’t exactly stop and check everyone’s resumes. But, most of those people wouldn’t try to cover up his death and make it look like an accident. No one would bother. After all, he was inconsequential. Aside from his siblings, no one else in the world would care if he died.
He rose from the bed, nudging Selena gently. “It’s seven, kitten,” he whispered. She rolled onto her back and put the pillow over her head.
“No …” she moaned.
He chuckled. “Time to get to work.” And yes, he had work to do, as well. He had to get to the bottom of this.
Selena grumbled and then tossed the pillow onto the floor. But she got up anyway and headed into the bathroom.
After they both got dressed (Selena tried to get frisky in the shower, but he reminded her that it was a workday), they left the loft and headed over to the Lone Wolf office. Evie was already there, and she gave Quinn a dirty look as she passed a duffel bag to Selena.
“Thanks, I’ll go change,” Selena said, grabbing the bag from Evie and walking out the door.
“Wait, a minute,” Evie called after her. “I need to talk to you.”
“Evie!” Killian called. “Can you come in here, please?”
Evie looked at the hallway leading to Killian’s office and back to Selena. “We’ll talk later.” As she passed by Quinn, she flashed him another angry look and disappeared down the hallway.
“I’ll call you an Uber,” he said to Selena. “And text me as soon as you get to the library. Don’t leave after work until I’m there, okay? I’ll be by early, and I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Fine,” Selena said with a pout. “I’ll see you later.”
Quinn sighed, watching as the front door closed and Selena was gone. There was a tightness in his chest now that she wasn’t around. Maybe he should go after her and make sure she was safe. Knowing there was someone out there who may be trying to get to him by harming Selena was making him and Wolf uneasy. Having Selena around helped calm down the animal, but, until she was safe, he would always feel worried. Selena was put at risk twice now, and Wolf wanted to hurt someone, preferably whoever it was trying to kill him.
With a long sigh, he walked to his office and shut the door. It would be a long day, and he wasn’t going to give up until he put a stop to this entire thing.
***
Selena watched the hand on the clock tick by, counting the seconds. Had it only been five minutes since she last checked the time? She thought it had been much longer. It wasn’t even lunch time yet.
“Damn you, clock,” she muttered under her breath. Was five p.m. never going to come? “Arrgghhhh.” She slumped back in her chair.
As she left Quinn’s office this morning, her chest felt like lead—heavy and unforgiving. There was something not quite right with Quinn. For starters, he didn’t even try to get her to round two last night, despite claiming he’d been waiting all week to be inside her. After they had sex, he simply pulled her to his chest and rubbed her back, which only made her sleepy. It felt nice, but orgasms were much nicer. She thought he must have been tired, so she yawned and soon gave in to sleep herself. And this morning, he was acting all strange and antsy. It was like he couldn’t wait to get out of his apartment.
She let out a puff of breath. Was Quinn already getting tired of her? She expected it to happen, but not this soon. Maybe he realized she wasn’t worth all this trouble.
“Dammit!” She got to her feet and grabbed her purse. He said he would come back for her after work, but she couldn’t wait. It was almost lunch anyway. Her resolve in place, Selena walked to Lone Wolf Security. Thanks to her brisk pace, she got there in record time.
She took the ancient elevator and went up to the door, knocking on the glass sharply with her knuckles.
“Selena,” Evie said when she opened the door. Her best friend placed a hand on her hip. “Back so soon?”
Selena stepped into the office. “Where is he?”
“In there.” Evie jerked her thumb toward Quinn’s office. “Hey what are you—”
She ignored Evie and marched to the second door down the hallway. “Quinn,” she called when she entered. “Quinn!”
“Huh?” A blond head popped over the three monitors set up on the table in the middle of the room. Quinn’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. “Selena, what are you doing here?”
He did not sound happy that she was here. “I want to get lunch,” she said in a miffed voice. “But if you’re too busy for me …” She pivoted and made a grab for the door knob. “Jesus!” She started as Quinn suddenly appeared behind her. Damn, Lycans were fast.
“Selena,” he said in a warning voice. “What I meant was you should have waited for me at the library. It’s not safe for you to be out on your own, especially around here. Someone could be watching the office.”
“I’m here now and nothing happened. Take me to lunch,” she demanded.
“I—” A beeping sound from the computer interrupted him, and he quickly walked back to his desk. He leaned down, brows furrowing as his eyes scanned the screen. “Shit!” Suddenly, his phone began to ring and vibrate, dancing across his desk as the device buzzed furiously. “Sorry, Selena, I gotta take this call.”
She couldn’t believe he was just ignoring her like that. He didn’t even notice when she left and slammed the door.
“Selena, we need to talk,” Evie said, blocking her way.
She tried to sidestep around the brunette, but Evie kept blocking her. “Fine. But I need wine with this conversation. I know where I want to go.”
They walked to Muccino’s Italian Restaurant, which was just around the corner from Lone Wolf. Usually, Selena wouldn’t splurge on such a place for lunch, but her bruised ego needed a bit of pampering today. The young hostess led them to a table in the corner and left them with a set of menus. Selena immediately asked for a glass of wine. Moments later, a waiter appeared with her drink and asked if they had decided on what to eat.
“Now,” Evie began after their waiter had taken their orders. “What’s going on, Selena? Connor came knocking at our door last night. He said someone tried to push you off the subway platform and that you’ll be staying with Quinn from now on?”
“Well, that’s about the
gist of it,” Selena said glumly, taking a sip of her wine. “Hmmm … you don’t suppose Chef McHottie is around, do you?” She glanced toward the kitchen doors, craning her neck for a sign of Dante Muccino, the restaurant’s handsome head chef and part owner, who also happened to be a Lycan.
“Don’t change the subject, Sel.” Evie grabbed the wine glass. “Now, tell me. Are you sleeping with Quinn?”
Selena went bright red, all the way to the roots of her hair.
“Oh, no,” Evie said, and she took a large swig from the wine glass.
“Hey, that’s mine!” Selena grabbed the glass back. “You’re buying me another one.”
Evie’s cheeks were flush from the alcohol. “You didn’t! Since when?”
“Uh, since Merlin’s?”
“That long? And you didn’t tell me?” Evie pouted.
“Because I knew this is how you’d react! Ugh!” Selena finished off the wine. “Stop judging me. You’re the one who kept going back to Dick even after he broke your heart and cheated on you multiple times.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Evie retorted. “And I told you, I haven’t talked to Richard since that last time. It’s been months. I didn’t even see him when I went back to Kansas.”
“Good,” Selena replied. “Because Dick was an asshole and you deserve better. Someone who will worship the ground you walk on and won’t ever make you cry.”
“Don’t change the subject. So, you finally punched your v-card, huh?” Evie winked at her. “How was it?”
Selena looked at the empty glass of wine and raised it to the passing waiter. Then she turned to Evie. “Fan-fucking-tastic.”
Evie laughed. “Oh my God. Quinn really did a number on you, huh?”
Selena sighed. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I think Quinn’s ready to move on to the next conquest.” The bitterness in her voice was evident, and all she could think of was where is that damned waiter with the wine?
“Oh dear. I’m so sorry, Selena.”
Ah, here he is. The waiter topped off her glass, and, when he stopped halfway, she flashed him a freezing look. The young man gulped and poured more wine.
Loving Quinn: The Lone Wolf Defenders Book 2 Page 12