“Talk me through when it began. Delilah’s party was the first I’d heard of it, but you’d already had cops out, right?”
“Yes, we’d called the police out the first time. It scared me pretty badly, then a second time. The third time I didn’t bother, which was when she found you.”
“Hungry?” Owen turned toward the kitchen.
“I don’t think I can eat.”
“Sure you can.” Owen went about pulling down the skillet and a baking dish. “What changed? Did anything happen in the month or so before Kierra thought she saw someone?”
Quinn stared at the calendars.
They didn’t go back far enough, or else Owen might have noticed it.
“I was renting a space at the university. Not much, but they have labs there. Karen wouldn’t let me use the HI-Co lab because she thought it would set a bad precedent for letting the secretary have a work area, but not the assistants. I rented a...it was pretty much a closet.”
“Why, when you have the basement?”
“Because...you’ve seen our house. If I’m here, I’m needed. It’s almost impossible to do anything except whatever has to be done. If I was going to work at all on a project, it had to be out of the house where I could focus. Pearl recommended the campus labs. They had space that’d opened up.”
“Then why the move? Why come back home?”
“I took a pay cut, and giving up the lab was how I was able to do it.”
“Wait—a pay cut? Why?”
“We couldn’t pay the employees.”
“Things are that tight?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you considered that someone might be sabotaging you purposefully? Would anyone stand to gain if HI-Co went under?”
“No one who matters. Karen’s run HI-Co into the ground. The only things of value would be the equipment, and even that I’ve taped, glued and wired together to keep us running. I have to stop working on this. Now.” She’d...put it on Facebook. Toss the pieces in the garbage and turn a blind eye to whoever went digging.
“No way, Quinn.” Owen shook the spatula at her. “This is your dream. No one should be able to steal that from you.”
“Yeah, well, they broke into my house and scared me badly enough that I don’t want it anymore.” Her first responsibility was Kierra, and if her dream put her sister in danger—she was done. No questions asked, no fighting, nothing.
Owen couldn’t make her keep going. She could get a job anywhere, for better pay, with her work experience. HI-Co was simply her baby. The one remaining line to her mother in this world, but it wasn’t worth dying over.
“Quinn, look at me?” Owen had his hands full with whatever culinary magic he was working. “Don’t make any decisions right now, okay? Right now, everything is scary. Once we know more, we’ll be able to better assess what’s going on.”
She nodded.
“Oh, and your phone was ringing when I woke up. I plugged it in and put it on silent.” He gestured at the charging station.
It could be Chloe.
Quinn picked herself up and crossed to the charging station.
“Oh, fuck me.” She groaned.
“We did that last night.” Owen chuckled.
“Not that kind of fuck me.” She covered her face with a hand, the heat rising to her cheeks.
Owen hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her into the kitchen. He pressed his lips to hers, reminding her that not everything was death and destruction.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Karen summoned me.”
“It’s Sunday. Tell her to fuck off.”
“I can’t. Not yet. Not until after the conference.” Without Quinn, the whole place really would fall apart. They couldn’t keep their bathrooms clean, much less figure out orders and everything else.
After the conference was over, after Quinn kissed her dreams goodbye one last time, she’d put herself first. Even if that meant leaving HI-Co. Her first responsibility might be caring for Kierra, but she didn’t have to die doing it.
12.
Owen pointed his car out of the airport. Quinn turned and peered through the back window, as if security would allow the little girl to run out and wave them off.
“She’ll be fine.” Owen reached over and squeezed Quinn’s hand.
“I know, I just...” Quinn straightened, sliding down in her seat. “Worry.”
She turned her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. It was a gesture that surprised him, but he wasn’t about to let go. He’d figured that whatever he and Quinn were to each other, it would evolve in time. For now, he was willing to be patient. Take what she offered and wait for her to trust him with more.
“This is the right thing to do,” she said as though to an unasked question.
“It is.”
“Then why do I feel like a failure for having to send her off?”
“You aren’t a failure, Quinn.”
“I know. And it’s not like this wasn’t planned anyway. With the crunch week coming up, things are going to be crazy. This is what’s best for Kierra.”
Owen opted to keep his mouth shut. No amount of arguing with Quinn would alleviate the self-inflicted guilt she was hoarding. It didn’t matter that he agreed this was the right thing to do to keep Kierra safe, Quinn would have to accept it in her own time.
“Address?” He handed her his phone.
“Sorry. I can just tell you how to get there.” Quinn pulled her legs up into the seat and leaned on the center console. “Thank you, again, for doing this.”
“I care about you and Kierra.” He glanced at her, willing her to accept that. He was involved with their lives. Invested.
Quinn shifted, her gaze sliding to the floorboard.
He didn’t intend to push her for any kind of a commitment, but they also hadn’t paused to discuss last night. What had changed. How they were different.
She seemed to have accepted him in her life, but the jury was still out on whether or not she’d really let him in.
He’d never know, if he didn’t talk about it with her.
“Would you like to talk about last night?” he asked.
“What is there to say?”
“Quinn...”
“What?” She shifted in her seat, letting go of his hand.
This wasn’t going to happen.
He turned off the highway and into the first gas station.
“But, we just got gas...” Quinn frowned at the pumps.
“We’re not getting gas.” He turned to face her. “We’re talking.”
Quinn stared at him with eyes gone round.
She looked ready to bolt out of the car. That wasn’t what he wanted to do at all. He reached over and took her hand in his.
“Talk to me, Quinn, please? Don’t make me beg.”
“What do you want me to say?” Her cheeks were turning a rosy shade of red.
“I don’t want you to say anything. I want to talk.”
“I don’t know what to talk about.” Her shoulders dropped and she finally met his gaze.
“Okay, do you regret last night?” He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing one knuckle, then the other.
“No.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Owen hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until that one word was out of her mouth.
“Well, that’s a relief. Did you...enjoy yourself?”
“Yes...”
“This isn’t an interrogation, you know?”
“It feels like one.”
“Quinn, I like you. I’m not playing games. I don’t want you to feel like you have to like me or that you can’t tell me to fuck off or anything.” He didn’t know how to more plainly tell her the ball was in her court.
“I wouldn’t tell you to fuck off, at least not seriously. I can lose my temper, I own that, but...you’re too important to Kierra—”
“This is about us, not Kierra. You always put her first, which is admirable. I respect
that about you. Right now, I want you to be selfish. Think of yourself right now.”
“You’re too important to Kierra and me. Let me finish a damn sentence before you jump down my throat about it.” She arched her brow, some of that trademark Quinn prickly sweetness coming back. “And Kierra will always come first, but I do like spending time with you.”
She glanced down, her cheeks now a brilliant shade of red.
Quinn blushing.
It was a thing he was enjoying.
“I like spending time with you, too. But I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I’ll admit that when it comes to relationships and men, I’m probably not the most adept, but I wouldn’t... Last night wouldn’t have happened out of a sense of I owe you. Am I making sense?”
“Yes.”
“Are we done with this conversation now?”
“For now.” He’d won a small victory. She’d get her respite, because tonight he fully intended to tempt her with more.
Owen leaned across, cupped Quinn’s neck in his palm and pulled her closer. There was no doubt about it, she leaned in, kissing him as much as he kissed her.
Progress.
He liked it.
Owen let go of her and adjusted his jeans. He was human and male, not in the least bit a saint. Comfortable, he shifted into drive, zipping toward the HI-Co lab under Quinn’s direction.
He didn’t like bringing her here on a weekend, but from the little they’d gleaned, there were several people at the lab, and he only had a small amount of time to cash in on that favor with Zach.
The brick building housing the lab looked innocent enoug. He’d have never guessed this was where research and development happened.
Quinn showed him in through the front door. She handed over her work laptop and the charging cable, her frown increasing.
“Do you really think this will tell us anything?” she asked.
“Leave no stone unturned. It can’t hurt to have Zach look at it. He’s good at this stuff. Scary good.”
“Okay.” Quinn sighed and glanced at the door. “You better go, before Karen catches you with it. If it’s her...”
“Keep your phone charged. I’ll be back soon, got it?”
“Yes, sir.” Quinn saluted him.
The brat.
He pulled her in for an all-too-brief kiss before backing out the door.
He was looking forward to a night alone. Not that it would all be spent between the sheets. Without Kierra around, he’d like to dig deeper on the calendars, figure out who was behind this.
Owen hit the road again, this time pushing the speed limit.
Zach had some time to mirror the drives so he could poke into who might have accessed Quinn’s calendars, but there wasn’t a big window to work with. It would help if Quinn thought she could take the machine home with her, but according to her, it would draw too much attention.
He’d work with what he could.
Owen pulled up to the curb outside of Zach’s house. He’d never ventured to the other man’s house, but it was closer than Trinity Hall to HI-Co. He grabbed the laptop and checked his phone.
One missed text from Quinn.
Going to the store for supplies. I’ll be a while. Meet me there?
He frowned at the messages.
She’d said nothing about leaving the lab.
His protective instincts were to rush over there, and—
Owen could hear Quinn’s voice in the back of his head, What? Watch me shop?
He chuckled and put one foot in front of the other.
It was the middle of the afternoon, she was in public, everything would be fine. He was making problems out of nothing.
Owen jogged up the stairs to Zach’s condo and lifted his hand. He didn’t knock once before the door opened.
“Hey, come in.” Zach stepped back. “I’ve got less time than I thought.”
“Sorry to bother you. You sure you have time for this?”
“My stuff’s upstairs. This way. Don’t let Ares trip you.” Zach gestured to the ground.
A hairless cat waved its ball-sac at him, tail twitching in the air.
“Never pegged you for a cat guy.” Owen stepped over Ares, who promptly scurried forward.
“Ares lives to be in the way. If you step on him, it’s his fault,” Zach called from the stairs.
Owen managed to navigate the distance from the door to the stairs without incident. Ares seemed disinclined to follow him upstairs, which was a minor relief.
“In here,” Zach called out.
Owen followed the sound of typing into Zach’s home office.
“Laptop?” Zach patted his desk and pulled out a cable. “How’re Quinn and Kierra doing?”
“Good. Kierra’s off to visit her grandparents while we sort out what’s going on.” Owen leaned on the desk, watching Zach’s hands fly on the keys. “How long will this take?”
“Less than I thought. This thing has next to no memory. There it goes.” Zach leaned back.
As if that were some sort of signal, another hairless cat leapt into his lap.
“No offense, but your cats...” Owen tilted his head.
“Careful, Hera is sensitive.” Zach stroked the back of the cat. “You and Quinn, huh?”
Owen shrugged. He wouldn’t deny it, but he couldn’t put a name to it either. He was invested in her, and however that played out, he wanted to keep something alive between them.
“I passed along the information to our friend,” Zach said, changing topics without so much as a blink.
“Not my problem anymore.”
Owen found himself less and less concerned about the state of his almost-former job. Of course, when it came time to pay bills he’d sure as hell care, but right now, Quinn was all that mattered.
Technology was a wondrous thing. It made the world smaller, targets easier to track and traps easier to set.
The tracking virus Hansel’s new boss had installed on Quinn’s work computer had infected her phone. He had a real time view of everything she did, said, and where she was—so long as there was battery life. That was the real hiccup. The woman’s phone was hardly ever on, but it was now.
He watched her type out a request for a ride. One of the Uber rip-off services.
This was his chance. It was pretty damn near perfect.
He wouldn’t kill her, not yet. He needed Quinn to get to Owen.
All he wanted to do was scare her a bit. She and the detective were a little too cozy. It was time to shake things up.
Hansel zoomed in on her confirmation message, noting the driver’s name and pick-up time.
Shit.
The would-be-taxi was closer than he’d expected.
Hansel turned the key in the ignition and shifted into drive. In less than a minute, he turned into the HI-Co lot and eased up to the door.
Quinn Schaeffer stepped out, unsuspecting as ever. The woman had no self-preservation instincts. This was going to be too easy. He should have to work for these things a bit harder.
He got out of the car, tugging his cap low on his face.
“Jake Cooper, ma’am. Here you go.” He shook her hand then pulled open the door to the back seat.
“Thanks, Jake. I haven’t seen you in the area before.”
Fuck. He hadn’t considered that she’d be familiar with other drivers.
“New to the area, miss. Where to?” He kept his face low. After he was done with her, she’d have problems remembering her name, much less his face. Still, caution was what kept a person alive in this game.
He got back behind the wheel and eased the vehicle back out onto the street.
Quinn seemed content not making conversation, which was fine by Hansel.
“Are you going to need a return trip, ma’am?” he asked.
“Oh, no. My friend’s picking me up here, thanks, though.”
Hansel had seen the messages. He was aware of her plans. Which made this even more perfect. He’d gif
t wrap the lady for the detective, letting him know that this—all of it—was for him.
“Um, we just passed the shop. It’s right there.”
He turned down the side street and eased to a stop along the curb. The dumpster at the corner of the building provided a nice amount of cover from anyone going in and out of the building.
“Thanks for the ride.” Quinn’s voice wavered.
So, the woman had some sense between her ears after all.
She pulled at the door handle.
Hansel whistled and turned, pulling out the canister. It was his special concoction. Something he’d worked up. Sort of a signature. She leaned back, eyes wide and gasped...breathing all that lovely gas in.
Quinn could feel her body failing her. Her eyelids drooped. Her hands couldn’t quite grasp the door no matter how much she told them to. She couldn’t make her arm work to get out of the seatbelt. Even her lungs felt as though they were refusing to pump air into her body.
Was this the man? The one who’d attacked her?
That one had had a beard. There’d been hair sticking up out of the mask. This man’s face was clean shaven. All she could see of him was a strong jaw before everything faded to black.
The darkness was all-consuming, sucking the light and hope out of her.
She was dying.
He was killing her.
This man, he was going to snuff her life out.
Who would care for Kierra? What about HI-Co? And Owen?
At least she’d told Kierra goodbye... If she’d known it would be her last, Quinn would have taken more time. She’d have hugged her again. Bought her that candy bar. Something.
But Owen, he’d never know that she more than liked him. She needed him to push her outside of her safe bubble and live. He’d never know now...
There was so much she’d never experienced. Things she’d never done, because everything was about keeping Karen happy, HI-Co operational and raising Kierra.
Death was oddly painless.
She’d expected...to hurt. Some sort of ache as her organs shut down and her cells stopped cold. But this was more like sleep. That was a blessing, perhaps. When that man had his hands wrapped around her throat at the house, she’d been so full of fear, it’d hurt to breathe. This was gentle by comparison.
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