Summer Of My Secret Angel

by Anna Katmore

  Criminal past? Hello? “I only nick from the rich to give it to the poor.” In this particular case, the poor was me. “Shouldn’t a person in your position exercise his office without prejudice?” I had hardly spoken the words when Quinn’s fingers dug painfully into my shoulder.

  The judge let my statement go by unnoticed. He only drew a deep, slow breath. “To prevent the worst, I should let you stay under house arrest in the orphanage and delay an official accusation for your latest theft until you turn eighteen. In that case, I would have full authority to send you to prison.”

  Holy shit.

  He paused to smile, and I wished the watchdog at my side would unshackle my hands so I could scratch the judge’s glassy eyes out. “But as it is, I’m pleased to welcome your mother into this room today. We had an unofficial meeting this morning, and I’m glad—”

  I jumped from my seat, cutting his sentence short. “You were the traitor who called her to this meeting?” A siren went off in my head, tuning out common sense.

  “Sit, Jona,” Quinn barked through clenched teeth. His palm on my shoulder pushed down hard. I whined, but gave in to his strength.

  “And I’m glad,” Abe continued, as if no one had interrupted him in the first place. “She told me about relatives of yours in France, who offered to give you a home and a place to stay for as long as you wish. Your aunt and her husband own vineyards there, and you will do charity hours on the grounds every day until you come of age.”

  The judge had gone nuts. This was the only reasonable explanation for such nonsense coming out of his mouth. “You’re going to ship me off to the continent? Like a slave? You can’t do that! It’s illegal.” It had to be. Right?

  Abe quirked one brow, dismissing my assumption. “Since serious health issues made your mother dependent on other people’s help, she currently lives with her sister in France. We see this as a great opportunity for you to get to know your biological family and maybe tighten the bonds anew.”

  “How can something be tightened that didn’t exist in the first place?” I muttered. Nothing existed in this life that could form or tighten anything between me and my mother. Let alone a bond. No contact with that bitch and her pet, thanks. And where the hell did this said aunt come from? I’d never heard of any relatives in Britain, France, or anywhere else.

  If I’d jumped up to protest again, Quinn would only have pushed me back into my seat. Instead, I raised my right arm, like a good little girl, to draw the judge’s attention. Annoyingly, with the cuffs on, my left hand lifted, too.

  “Please, take me to prison instead.” My request came out dry and emotionless. Dead earnest.

  From above, Quinn glared daggers at me. I cut a glance at him, but then studied Abe’s old eyes again, awaiting his final adjudication with an empty pit in my stomach growing fast.

  “I do believe you graduated from high school last spring?”

  Not knowing what Abe’s question could have to do with my punishment, I nodded. My marks in math had been lousy, but at least I did it.

  “And currently you aren’t taking any summer classes in Miss Mulligan’s Children’s Home?”

  “No.”

  “Then you are going to live with your family.” The bang of his little wooden hammer on the small round plate sealed the matter. “Now get out of my courtroom and don’t come back.”

  I was so screwed.

  When they started making plans over my head, and voices mixed to a painful blur, Quinn let me wait outside the room. I had to promise not to run off or pick a fight with another officer before he would even open the door for me. I restrained myself from giving him the finger and slipped out.

  Elbows propped on my bent knees, I sat on the floor in the hallway with my back resting against the windowed wall. The chain of the cuffs rattled mockingly. With them on, I wouldn’t get far on an escape for fresh air. I might as well surrender to my horrendous fate.

  Utterly miserable and confused about my new future, and no less annoyed by the glances of passing officials, my head dipped back, my gaze focusing on the blank ceiling. Out of habit, when I was by myself—and stuck knee-deep in shit—I started humming a song I didn’t know the name of. It always had a strangely soothing effect on me. Odds were I had made up the melody myself over the years. But I’d hummed, whistled or tapped the rhythm with my fingers so often that the tune wouldn’t get out of my head.

  The door opening opposite me didn’t disrupt my low singing. But when my mother’s blond friend came out and leaned one shoulder casually against the column in the middle of the hallway, the hum died in my throat.

  “Hi,” he said with a compassionate look that made me once again wish the traitor, Quinn, had taken off those damn handcuffs so I wouldn’t look like such a complete idiot.

  Lips pressed together, my fingers waggled in a feeble greeting. The mere sight of this man sent a quiver of excitement to my stomach.

  “That was quite an interesting…situation in there.”

  With an evil grin, I hoped to send the message Mind your own crap, buddy. Out loud, I said sweetly, “Glad you enjoyed the show.”

  “I didn’t really.” He wrinkled his nose. “Getting involved with Laurel and Hardy in there wasn’t your best idea. Even a smart girl like you might get hurt in a fight with those two.”

  Yeah, sure. My eyes narrowed to slits. But his words warmed my heart in an unfamiliar way.

  The young man nodded his chin at my tied hands. “They look a little uncomfortable.”

  And they bloody well were, but I shrugged it off like it was nothing unusual. “The latest fashion. You heard the judge, I wear them quite often.”

  A teasing smile that spiked my blood pressure played around his lips. “Shall we take them off?” he said.

  He had to be kidding. “Unless you’ve got teeth like a hacksaw, I don’t see how that would work.”

  He crossed the hall to me, pulling a key-ring from his pocket. He squatted, leveled his eyes with mine, and shook the keys in front of my face. The friendly jingle of metal filled the high hallway.

  My mouth fell open. “Whom did you get those from?”

  “Chief Madison.”

  “You stole them from Quinn?” I pulled my hands out of his reach.

  “Of course not.” The blond god gave me a pointed look. “I asked for them.”

  Why would this guy ask my officer friend to release me? Frowning, I concentrated on the safety pin in my jeans. “Quinn wouldn’t free me when I asked him to.”

  His intense blue eyes locked with mine. “I had to solemnly swear to keep an eye on you. Now hold still.” Cool fingers curled around my wrist to steady my hand while he unlocked the first cuff. Sparks tingled on my skin, my hand trembled slightly.

  Why would he give his word to an officer, just to free me? Why even care? He’d do well to stay behind that door, holding my horrible mother’s hand instead of setting mine free. With a click, the other cuff came off. I flexed my hands and rubbed my burning wrists. The shackles had left bright red lines on my skin.

  “Better?” He tilted his head and arched one beautiful brow.

  My head bobbed, but I found no breath to answer.

  “Okay then.” He used my knees to push himself up and stretched to his full height.

  He probably expected my gratitude following his selflessness. My gaze focused on the ripped hems of his jeans, my lips remained sealed.

  When he turned on his heel and marched off to the left, I glanced up. “And now you’re going where?” The words shot out before I could stop myself.

  “Bathroom break.” His arched brows dared me to object.

  My lower lip threatened to pop from between my teeth as I chewed on it. Don’t speak! “But you’re supposed to keep an eye on me.”

  After studying me for a couple of seconds, his expression softened even more. “You’re not going to get me into trouble.”

  A balloon of warmth exploded in my chest. I let him take another stride away from me. Two.
Three. Four. “How can you be so sure?” Shut the hell up, Jona. “According to everything you know about me, I’ll probably be gone when you get back.”

  A shrug of one shoulder and his beguiling smile struck me silent. “I trust you.” A moment later he disappeared around the corner.

  My chin hit my chest.

  Trust me, my arse! He must be nuts if he thought I could be trusted. With a snort, I rose from the linoleum floor and strode toward the exit. But I bounced into a solid wall of bad conscience.

  “Dammit.” I kicked the real wall to my right. The rubber sole of my boot left a black mark on the white surface. I shouldn’t even have had to think about it, so why in the world did I hesitate? And for a stranger?

  The exit had never looked better, and yet invisible shackles prevented any further step in its direction. Breathing became increasingly harder, and anger burned like a flame through me. I didn’t understand this stranger’s hold over me. I shouldn’t have wasted another thought on him. After all, I hadn’t asked him to remove the handcuffs.

  But he took them off anyway. And he trusted me.

  A growl rumbled out of my throat. I shot an angry glance heavenward and raked my clawed fingers through my hair. With a helpless sigh, I returned to the spot where he’d found me. Standing with my back against the column and arms crossed tightly over my chest, I awaited his return.

  Only seconds later, footfalls announced his approach in the hall behind my back. The steps slowed, and a hardly audible sigh of dismay drifted around the column to me. I grinned to myself, savoring this sweet, however short moment of victory. Then I shoved away from the post.

  Relief washed over his face at the sight of me, the corners of his mouth tilting up. “It’s good to see you again.”

  And it’s pretty good to look at your beautiful face, too. But I steeled my expression and ground my teeth. I spun on my heel and trudged back toward Abe’s office, intending to hire Quinn as my bodyguard to keep this goddamn Good Samaritan at arm’s length.

  “Damn you to hell,” I muttered as I went.

  He laughed behind me. “Oh joy.”

  I zipped my backpack shut over my three t-shirts, my only other pair of trousers, and the few precious books I owned. The sun was setting over the low rooftops outside my window. This would be my last night in an institution I had called home for over twelve years.

  Bloody old Abe should have sent me to prison. Could hardly be worse than the orphanage. But, to banish me from the country and condemn me to live in the same house as my mother was unspeakable cruelty.

  “It’s not even two months,” Quinn had said after the hearing. “You’re a tough girl, you’ll survive.”

  Actually, he was the only person I was going to miss.

  A knock rattled the door. That would be him. The judge and Miss Mulligan had thought it a good idea that I spend an evening with my mother and her lover before attempting a journey to a foreign country with them. Charlene had beamed while her friend covered his smirk with a cough. Quinn accompanying me tonight was the one condition on which I had agreed to go.

  I pulled the door open and stared. For at least three whole seconds. Quinn in casual wear. Without his uniform, he looked even younger, and his dark gray t-shirt and bleached jeans fit him perfectly.

  My black zip-up sweatshirt and ripped jeans suddenly didn’t seem like such a nice thing to wear anymore. Maybe I shouldn’t have removed the safety pin from the hole in the knee.

  Quinn offered me his elbow. “Are you ready, kiddo?”

  “Ready to face the dragon and get roasted? Never. Let’s go.” I looped my arm through his and pulled the door closed behind me.

  “It can’t be all bad.”

  “You have no idea.”

  Downstairs, Quinn held the door open for me and led me to his black BMW parked around the block. We both climbed in, and he pulled away from the curb. After a while of staring silently out the window, my train of thought broke with Quinn’s not-so-subtle cough. I tilted my head his way.

  He briefly glanced at me then faced forward again. “You know, I was quite surprised to see your mother today. Didn’t you say she died in a car crash when you were little?”

  “If only.” Arms folded over my chest, I concentrated on the car in front of us, wishing Quinn would crash into it at the next intersection. That would give us an excuse not to show up.

  We passed the intersection without incident. Damn Quinn for being a safe driver.

  I needed to come up with a strategy. Fast. Before we arrived at the pub and there was no way for me to escape confronting Charlene. When the uncomfortable buzz in my stomach increased, I cleared my throat and gave Quinn a sweet smile.

  His eyes darted back and forth between me and the windshield. “What is it, Jona?”

  I leveraged my best sad puppy look. “Is there a chance you don’t know the way and we end up in the city watching a film instead of meeting them?”

  He laughed. “Shit, no. Abe would have my arse for kidnapping you.”

  Okay, that was a major fail. Plan B. “Do you like me, Quinn?”

  Head tilted, he placed his palm on my forearm, squeezing slightly while he steered the car with one hand for a moment. “Sure, I do.”

  “Would you marry me?”

  “What?” The car jerked a bit, because he jerked his hand back so fast it bumped against the steering wheel.

  “If you married me, no one could force me to go back to this morally corrupt woman they call my mother.” I lifted my chin. “I would be an independent adult then.” Sort of.

  “Oh, is that it?” A relaxed chuckle rocked his chest while he steered the car around Kings Cross. “Well, I’m afraid Bethany wouldn’t like that.”

  I frowned, running my fingers up and down the smooth seatbelt across my chest. “Who’s Bethany?”

  “My girlfriend.”

  “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

  He beamed. “It’s a brand new thing.”

  It was nice to see my only friend happy about having a woman. But it was a shame that she spoiled my brilliant plan B.

  Lips pouted, I craved his attention again.

  His eyebrow arched. “What are you thinking about now?” The question sounded damn close to a warning. Amazing thing, his intuition, when it came to me.

  “You and Beth could adopt me.” Sickly sweet innocence dripped from my voice.

  Quinn waited a second before he covered my hand with his. “You’re too old to be adopted, sweetie.”

  “Yeah. And Bethany wouldn’t be happy with a brat like me, would she?”

  His fingers closed around mine. “I’ve never seen you like that; you know this.”

  My gaze dropped to our joined hands. “Yeah, I know. Guess that’s why I like you so much. You’re the only one who ever cared.”

  This was the first time in years I’d had an open conversation with anyone. Honesty usually stood locked somewhere deep down in the dungeons of my heart. But with Quinn being close like a brother, that door cracked open. If only a little.

  “Soon you’ll have an entire family to care for you. And that boy seemed really worried today as well.”

  “I don’t see what’s positive about living with a dragon and her child-lover.”

  Because he needed to shift gears, Quinn withdrew his hand. “Oh, he’s not her lover.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I had a chat with him. Apparently, he’s some sort of caretaker. Very nice guy.”

  If Quinn said so, I had no reason not to believe it. But the sudden rush of happiness I felt when he spoke of the guy was a riddle to me.

  “Don’t worry,” he added with a grin. “I only told him good things about you.”

  As if there was anything good to say about me. That would include my name, and…yeah, that was about it. But speaking of names. “Did he tell you his name?”

  “Yes.”

  I waited. Nothing. “And?”

  Quinn smirked. “Are you interested
in the lad?”

  I poked my elbow into his ribs, which made him laugh out loud.

  “Careful, kiddo. I’m driving.”

  “I’m not interested in him,” I snapped. “I’d just like to know who I’ll have to deal with for the next six weeks.”

  “Ah, right. Must be exciting to meet relatives in France. What’s your aunt’s name, anyway?”

  “No idea. I’ve never met her. And who cares?”

  “Gotcha! I thought you would like to know anyone you’ll have to deal with.” He chuckled, and I didn’t like it. “You know the guy’s only a few years older than you. If you’re nice to him, who knows, maybe he’ll want to marry you in the end.”

  Quinn deserved a slap for his teasing. Scowling at him, I ground my teeth. “Did he tell you that he left me alone in the hallway today after he freed me from the handcuffs?”

  Quinn frowned at the red light stopping us for a moment. “Did he? Really?”

  “Yes, he went to the bathroom. So what does that tell us about him?”

  “That he trusted you?”

  “No!” Interesting that Quinn came up with the same words as the blond guy. “It only shows how irresponsible he is. Leaving a criminal alone.”

  “And what an evil criminal you are.”

  Damn him for the playful glint in his eyes.

  Two minutes later, my heart sank to my gut as Quinn parked the car in front of a pub called Antonio’s and cut the engine. A few deep breaths couldn’t ease my tension. Quinn studied my face for a moment then opened his mouth.

  I cut him off, pointing my finger at his face. “If you’re going to say, Just grin and bear it! I’ll punch your nose.”

  His laugh echoed inside the cabin. He ruffled my hair and brushed my cheek. “Keep the fight up, tiger. I know you can do this.” Then he climbed out of the car.