by A. M. Myers
“I’ve got to go look for Clay. Give me a call if you need me.”
He nods. “We’ve got it covered for now, I think.”
Nodding, I slap his shoulder before giving Rodriguez’s a squeeze in support as he downs his second shot, not even sparing me a glance. That’s all right. I understand all too well the hell he’s going through right now. Leaving them to their drinking, I grab the keys to my truck out of my pocket and step outside, wincing at the bright sunlight beaming down on me.
Shit.
I really need to start keeping regular hours but with my job as a private investigator, that’s almost impossible. While everyone else is out living their lives, I have to be working to capture it on film for our clients before coming back to the clubhouse and crashing in the early hours of the morning. Not to mention the jobs we have to do, sometimes at a moment’s notice, to help out folks in need. None of it is really conducive to having a life.
Sighing, I slip behind the wheel of my electric blue ’67 Chevy and start it up, smiling at the deep rumble she makes as the engine fires to life. Besides my bike, this truck is my pride and joy and I’m like a little kid every time I get behind the wheel.
Shifting my focus to my brother, I pull out of the parking lot and start heading toward one of his usual hangouts. If he’s not there, then I’ll have to check the next one and so on. It’s the same thing I’ve been doing for the last week and I haven’t been able to find him yet and even though he’ll come around eventually, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. Of course, I’ve also been doing this for six years and it hasn’t made a bit of difference. As I pull up to a stoplight, I run my hand over my face and lean back in my seat, wondering if this whole situation is just hopeless. I hate to think it but some days, it really feels that way.
I glance up to check the light as a large red truck barrels through the intersection, smashing into a little black sedan who had the right away. A cloud of dirt billows into the air as fiberglass sprays everywhere and the car spins three times before coming to a stop just inches from my front bumper. One look at the mangled mess in front of me sends my heart racing. Throwing the truck in park, I open the door just as the red truck backs up, rights itself, and whips past me, fleeing the scene.
Jesus Christ.
“Piece of shit,” I mutter as I slam the door and race around to the front of the truck, wedging myself between the two vehicles. “You okay?”
Ice blue eyes, full of fear, turn toward me as the little blonde behind the wheel gasps for air, clawing at her seat belt frantically. It’s like one of the damn movies Iris always used to rent when I was a kid - everything seems to stand still as our gazes connect and something I can’t quite describe smacks into me, knocking me off balance. It’s like a punch to the gut and everything around me blurs because all I can see is the angel in front of me. Even through her fear and the haze of adrenaline, she’s beautiful in a classic kind of way that makes me think of summer barbecues, white picket fences, and apple pie.
A car horn blares behind me and it snaps me out of my daze as I reach through the open window and grab one of her hands and give it a squeeze. Another punch to the gut as her skin meets mine and I suck in a breath, my heart racing.
Shit.
What is this?
She settles slightly at my touch and I offer her a reassuring smile.
“Are you okay?”
“Um…” she mutters, blinking and I rip my gaze away from her gorgeous eyes to check her head. It doesn’t look like she hit it but she seems really disoriented and the thought that she could be more injured than I realize makes my stomach flip. “I think so.”
“Does anything feel broken?” I ask and she tries to move in her seat before wincing and shaking her head.
“No, I don’t think so.”
I nod. “Okay. Just try to relax and don’t move. I’m sure the ambulance will be here soon.”
I didn’t call them but we’ve gathered a bit of a crowd now and I see at least three people on their phones. She gasps, jerking my gaze back to her as she tries to move and hisses in pain.
“Whoa, take it easy, babe. Just wait for help to get here.”
“My baby!” she exclaims, her worried gaze meeting mine and I glance in the back seat where a car seat sits. My stomach sinks.
Shit.
“I’ll check, okay?”
She nods and releases my hand so I can move to the back seat and peer around the car seat. A little head pops forward and a little girl who looks just like her mama flashes me a toothy grin. Smiling, I move back to the front seat and grab her hand again, something settling inside me from her touch.
“I think she’s okay.”
A tear slips down her cheek. It guts me. “Really?”
“Well, she’s grinnin’ at me, so yeah, I think she’s good,” I answer with a nod. I’d do just about anything to ease her worry right now. She lets out a sigh of relief and relaxes back into the seat, closing her eyes. When she doesn’t open them back up right away, my heart lurches in my chest and I give her hand a squeeze.
“Hey, darlin’. Stay with me.”
She tries to move again and lets out a hiss of pain.
“Just hang on. I think I hear sirens in the distance.”
“I need to get her,” she forces out through clenched teeth and I shake my head and reach into the car with my free hand to gently turn her face to mine. Our eyes meet and it punches me right in the gut again.
“You won’t do her any good if you’re hurt. Just wait for the ambulance. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
She studies me for a second before nodding. “Okay.”
“Okay,” I repeat with what I hope is a reassuring grin. “I’m Lucas, by the way. What’s your name?”
“Quinn.” A shy smile sends my heart racing and I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. “And that’s Brooklyn.”
I glance in the back seat again, smiling at the baby girl staring at me in the little mirror secured to the back seat headrest.
“Sorry to be meeting you both like this,” I answer and when Quinn doesn’t reply, my gaze flicks back to her. She has a faraway look in her eyes and my stomach clenches as fear races through my veins. I squeeze her hand and force her gaze back to mine. “Stay with me, okay?”
“It hurts,” she whispers and I nod.
“I know.” The sound of sirens fill the air and I let out a breath. “They’re almost here, though.”
She nods. “How’s Brooklyn?”
“Good. Pretty sure she’s trying to flirt with me,” I tell her, glancing back at the cooing baby again and she laughs before wincing. “Just a little bit longer, sweetheart.”
Her eyes close as she nods weakly. “Okay.”
“What were y’all up to today?” I ask, desperate to keep her talking so she doesn’t pass out on me. Her eyes open and she meets my gaze but I can tell that she’s struggling.
“Just got off work.”
I wrap both my hands around her hands and rub. Hopefully, that will give her something to focus on so she doesn’t lose consciousness. “Yeah? What do you do?”
“I’m an event planner.”
“Sounds like a whole lot more fun than my job.”
She snorts and lays her head back against the headrest. “And what do you do?”
“I’m a private investigator.”
“You’re right,” she replies, wrinkling her nose as she fights back a grin. Goddamn, she’s adorable. “That sounds terrible.”
My mouth pops open. “Oh, I see how it is. This is what I get for being a nice guy, huh?”
“Sorry,” she breathes as her face scrunches up in pain.
An ambulance and a fire truck stop behind her car and I breathe a sigh of relief as she squeezes my hand, drawing my gaze back to her. “Don’t leave me.”
The fear in her eyes and her pleading voice stab through me and I nod, squeezing her hand back. “I’m not going anywhere, darlin’.”
Two paramedics
race over to the car and I take a step back so they can get to her but make sure that she can see I’m still there the whole time as they check her over and the firefighters work to get her and Brooklyn out of the totaled car. Brooklyn comes out fairly easily since her side wasn’t the one that was hit and one of the firefighters carries her over to the ambulance in her car seat.
“I think there’s some internal bleeding.” I hear one of the paramedics say and my heart clenches as I meet Quinn’s gaze. She looks fucking terrified and something about it makes me want to rush over to her, knock the paramedics out of the way, and pull her into my arms. What the hell is going on with me?
They get her loaded up onto a gurney and as they pass by me, she grabs my hand again. The paramedics stop and look at me.
“Family only, man.”
“I’m her husband,” I reply without thinking. I promised her I wasn’t leaving her and it’s one promise I intend to keep. He studies me for a second before nodding,
“Let’s go, then.”
“Thank you,” she whispers to me as they start pushing her toward the back of the ambulance. I glance down at her and nod.
“Promised you I wouldn’t leave you and I meant it.”
Her smile is weak but beautiful as she gives my hand another squeeze. I have to release her as the paramedics load her into the back of the ambulance but as soon as I climb in, she’s reaching for me again and I can’t stop myself from giving her anything she wants. The ambulance pulls away from the accident, racing toward the hospital and I can’t tear my gaze away from her eyes.
Fuck, what is this girl doing to me?
Chapter Three
Quinn
Knock!
Knock!
“Come on in,” Alice calls as she bounces a sleepy Brooklyn in her lap. Bonnie, my nurse for the evening, opens the door and steps into the room, flashing me a warm smile. I try to reciprocate but I’m in too much pain to manage it.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?” she asks, turning toward the heart monitor on the wall above my head. I grimace.
“I’m in a little bit of pain.”
That’s a lie. My entire body aches and I fully understand what people mean when they say they feel like they’ve been hit by a truck.
“Oh, here.” She reaches down on the side of the bed, pulls out a little clicker, and presses the button on top. “Just press this and you’ll get a dose of morphine.”
Relief washes through me as the medicine starts doing its job and I relax back into the bed with a sigh. “Thank you.”
“Of course. And don’t be stingy with it either. You want to stay ahead of the pain and it’s programmed so you can’t give yourself too much.”
I nod and she turns back to the monitor, jotting a few things down in her pocket-sized notebook before she turns to check my IV over.
“Now, I’m on for the next fifteen hours so if you need anything at all, you just press that button right there,” she instructs, pointing to the call button on the side of the bed. I nod.
“Okay. How long do you think I’ll have to stay here?”
“Hopefully, just tonight, Hun. You’ve got some minor internal bleeding that the doc wants to keep an eye on overnight.”
Alice clears her throat and we both turn to look at her. Her face is pale and her hands are trembling as she clings to Brooklyn and it hits me how scary this must be for her after all the loved ones we’ve had to say good-bye to in our lives. “She’s okay though, right?”
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be just fine, honey,” Bonnie assures her. Alice’s gaze flicks to me and I plaster a smile on my face despite how exhausted I am. “We just want to make sure the bleeding doesn’t get any worse.”
I didn’t think it was possible but Alice’s face pales even further and she meets my eyes as Brooklyn fusses and slaps her little hands against her aunt’s chest. I understand her worry all too well and I wish I had the energy to reassure her right now but between the pain meds and my long day, I’m not going to make it much longer. Plus, the last thing I want to do is think about the accident right now.
My mind drifts to Lucas, the mysterious stranger who went above and beyond to not only make sure I was okay but to also keep me calm through the whole ordeal. I don’t know what it was about him but despite never meeting him before, he made me feel completely safe in the chaos of the accident and I’m disappointed that I didn’t even get a chance to thank him for everything he did for me. When we got to the hospital, they rushed me back into the emergency room and I lost him in the shuffle.
“What if it does get worse, though?” Alice asks, her shaky voice breaking through my thoughts.
Bonnie reaches over and pats her hand. “Why don’t we just cross that bridge if and when we come to it, okay? I have faith that your sister will be just fine and back home tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Alice nods but she doesn’t look all that convinced.
“All in all,” Bonnie continues, turning back to me. “You are one lucky girl, Miss Dawson. I saw the photos from the accident and I’m convinced that you’ve got someone watching over you.”
I smile, thinking of at least three angels I know are watching over me. “Yes, I think I do.”
She grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze before backing away from the bed. “All right, now. I’ll be back in an hour to check your vitals but try and get some sleep, okay?”
I nod and she turns to Alice.
“Visiting hours are almost over, honey.”
“Okay,” Alice sighs as Brooklyn yawns and lays her head on her shoulder. “I better get this little one home anyway.”
Bonnie ducks out of the room as Alice stands and brings Brooklyn over to the side of my bed. She reaches for me and I take her from Alice’s arms before gently folding her into mine, despite the pain it causes me. Her little head plops down on my chest and I bury my nose in her hair and close my eyes.
“Be a good girl for Auntie Alice,” I whisper to her, tears welling up in my eyes. In her thirteen months of life, I’ve never once spent the night away from her and it’s tearing me up to have to do it now. I didn’t expect it to be this hard to say good-bye. Turning to Alice, I smile. “Thank you for all your help and I’m sorry. I know you’ll probably have to skip your class again tomorrow night.”
She rolls her eyes. “You were in a terrible car accident, Quinn, so everyone understands and if they didn’t, fuck ‘em.”
“Fuck ‘em?” I ask with a laugh. “If Gram were here, she’d pop your mouth for that one.”
Her face falls and she sucks in a breath. “Don’t you dare go dying on me, you hear?”
“I’m not going anywhere, Sis. You’re stuck with me for life.”
Tears well up in her eyes as she grabs my hand. “I’m holding you to that.”
Before I can respond, a little snore from the baby on my chest interrupts us and we both start laughing.
“You’d better get her home and in her own bed or she’ll be a bear tomorrow.”
Alice nods. “Yeah, the girl does love her sleep. Wonder where she gets that from?”
“Dunno,” I lie, making a face at her as she laughs. We gently maneuver Brooklyn from my arms to Alice’s and she leans down to give me a hug.
“We’ll come check on you in the morning, okay?”
I shake my head as she pulls away. “Just wait for me to call you. There is no sense in making two trips if they really do decide to discharge me.”
“You sure?”
I nod my head. “Yeah. I’ll be all right.”
Her lips purse as she studies me for a moment before nodding. “Okay, but I want you to call me if you need anything. Oh, and you also need to tell your body to stop bleeding.”
“You got it. I’ll focus on healing my wounds with the power of my mind.”
Fighting back a smile, she nods. “Perfect.”
Alice leans down and kisses my cheek as I place a gentle kiss on the top of Brooklyn’s head. She takes a step back and I can
tell she’s reluctant to leave me.
“I promise you I’ll be fine, Alice. Go home and get some rest, okay?”
She stares at me for a moment before nodding and walking to the door to my room. “Love you,” she calls over her shoulder.
“Love you more.”
Once they’re gone, I lie back on the bed and close my eyes, slowly blowing out a breath. My eyes feel heavy but my mind is racing at a hundred miles an hour and random images from the crash keep popping into my mind. My hands start to shake as I piece it all together. I remember glancing over and the only thing I could see was the front grill of the truck just seconds before it slammed into the car. Then, the world was a blur as the car spun for what felt like forever and the blink of an eye all at the same time. And then he was there.
Sighing, I open my eyes and stare up at the florescent lights on the ceiling. Maybe the accident rattled me even more than I realized since I can’t seem to shift my focus from Lucas, a man I don’t even know. My love life in the last two years has been woefully lacking and no one has even caught my eye. God, I’m not even sure that I’m capable of being in a relationship anymore but something about Lucas cemented the inkling of a thought in my mind and it’s not as if I’m planning our wedding after only one chance meeting but I am thinking – what-if?
“Quinn?”
Turning toward the door, I gasp at the sight of Lucas standing in the doorway. “What are you still doing here?”
He smiles and strolls into the room like I somehow conjured him up just by thinking of him as I try to get my racing heart under control. “I couldn’t leave without making sure you were all right.”
“Oh,” I whisper, my cheeks heating. Who the heck is this guy and why does he have such an impact on me? “You’ve been waiting here this whole time?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“Oh.”
Our eyes meet across the room and butterflies dance around in my stomach as his blue eyes study me, almost like he can see right through me.
“So… are you? Okay, I mean…” he asks.