by Shannyn Leah
Dave snarled.
Quinn glared.
“Anya’s having a quick shower then she promises to cook us a delicious breakfast buffet. I said we didn’t need much, but she was insistent.”
“Like her father,” Dave growled.
“Don’t compare her to that man. She is a strong and independent woman with no thanks to her father.”
“I like Anya.” Pamela sided with Quinn.
“You’re not helping. Go sit down and put your feet up.” The second the harsh tone left Dave’s mouth, he regretted it. The features on his face softened back to the gentlemen that he was when pain wasn’t corrupting his thoughts.
He turned to wife. “I’m sorry Love.”
Pamela kissed him, then rolled her eyes. “This is what I get for stepping into the den of two fearsome brother wolves. I know better. Really, I do. But you two.” She shook her head. “Seriously, you both make it so much more difficult than it has to be.”
Dave ignored her. “Seriously, you should sit down.” He helped her to the couch.
“What are you doing driving her around anyway when she’s so close to her due date?” It had been bugging Quinn. He was one cell phone call away and yet his brother felt the need to drive here.
“I’m pregnant Quinn not dead. I can travel and besides, we were worried about you.”
Dave made a pillow hill for her feet.
“Dave was worried about you. That’s what his macho mask is all about.”
Dave kissed her hard on the lips. “I love you, but stop talking.”
She laughed. “Now that we see you’re okay and happy I’m sure Dave is relieved and happy.”
Quinn snorted at her obvious sarcasm. She knew her husband well.
Dave sat on the edge of the couch beside Pamela and Quinn took the chair.
Keeping their voices low and listening for Anya, Quinn spoke. “I’m getting the file sorted.”
Pamela’s smile fell and disappointment took place of her cheerfulness. “Oh, Quinn. I thought you came back for her.”
Why did Pamela make it sound like she already knew about him and Anya? His feelings for Anya? That was impossible. He’d never talked about Anya.
“A lot has changed.” Quinn wasn’t sure how much to offer Dave when his anger was consuming his judgement. “We can talk later if you can manage a civilized conversation with Anya. After the apple in the tree remark I’m amazed she invited you at all.”
Quinn and Pamela both glared at Dave.
“Me too,” Pamela said. “But I’m glad she did.” Pamela smiled at Quinn. “We really were worried.”
“I’m fine. I’m a big boy.”
“A big ass,” Dave said.
Quinn hit his shoulder before leaving them and heading to Anya’s bedroom. He needed to make sure that Dave hadn’t offended her.
***
ANYA WRAPPED A towel around her body, tucking it securely at the top edge, and then scrubbed her teeth clean.
Quinn’s brother hated her. It was obvious he knew everything about Quinn’s plan, a plan he was changing for her. But a plan that Dave was obviously intent to pursue and not pleased with his discovery of Anya and Quinn together.
Would Dave change Quinn’s mind? Quinn was a loyal and protective family man who took his promises seriously. His decision to date Anya broke the promise he’d made to his dad to expose Robert once he had Nikki’s file. Now that Dave was here questioning his loyalty, would his plan shift. Would his pledge to work with her change to Dave? His brother. His blood.
Anya pulled the towel off her head and ran her fingers through her long damp hair.
Quinn knocked on her bathroom door. “Anya?”
She froze.
She wasn’t ready to find out if he’d changed yet.
“Anya?”
Taking a deep breath she said, “Come in.”
He pushed the door open, tearing off his sweaty t-shirt. It hit the floor and he walked right to her and pulled her into a long hug. His embrace was tight. Was he saying goodbye?
Stop it, Anya.
“I’m sorry about my brother,” he whispered. “He doesn’t agree with me being here.”
Clearly.
Quinn pulled away, but only enough to look at her. “He didn’t agree with me coming two years ago, so I didn’t tell him when I returned this time. I thought I would be in and out. He’s a little thrown off to find me here, and with you.”
Oh no, he was ending this before they even really had a chance to start it.
“A Caliendo.”
“Dave opposed me coming here to find the truth about Nikki. He isn’t here to make sure that I expose Robert. Honestly, he’s here to check on me and make sure I’m alright.”
Anya touched his face, running her fingers across his stubble. “That’s sweet. Protective. Kind of like another Barker I know.”
“Before we go out there, I want you to realize that Dave is hurt, scared and angry. I don’t know what he will say and I hope he can be civilized, but he’s spent a lot of years worrying about me.”
“He loves you.”
“I love you.”
Anya’s breath caught in her chest.
“I’ve always loved you,” he said.
Anya let out her breath. “I thought you were coming to tell me you forgot your mission and we couldn’t be together.”
“You’re my mission. Don’t you ever forget that.”
Anya kissed him. “I love you too. I always have, but you already knew that.”
“I will be standing right beside you. Whatever Dave says, I will be right there to protect you. He is going to have to get used to me and you as a couple, because that is what we are. Partners...for life.”
Anya smirked. “Did you just give us a title?”
“Two, but who’s counting?” Quinn kissed her. His mouth plunged deeper and he lifted under the arms and onto the counter.
Anya pulled away to object, but his mouth just found her shoulders to scatter his warm kisses.
“Your family is down the hall.”
Quinn’s mouth trailed down her neck sending desire through her and she felt her rejection failing. “Uh-huh...”
His fingers unlatched her towel while his mouth pursued a path to her mouth and covered her objections. Anya moaned in his mouth and gripped the sides of his cheeks, pulling him harder against her.
Quinn arm wrapped around her bottom and pulled her against his growing erection through his sweat pants. His bare torso pressed the hard, taut muscles against her naked front.
“You feel good...” she said.
His chuckle was tranquilizing and she forgot about his family and her family and, like always, he dragged her into their world. She loved their world.
Chapter Twenty-Five
QUINN HAD PEGGED his brother as far more of a jerk than Dave behaved during their morning together. Dave seemed to have no intention of insulting Anya any further...to her face anyway. She caught him looking her over a few times. Not in an, I’m-checking-you-out kind of way. No, it was obvious he was head over heels in love with his wife. He was sending her the, don’t you hurt my brother look. Since Anya had no intention of doing so, she met him with a sincere smile instead.
A half hour after breakfast, Memphis awoke with more energy than he’d had that morning. Anya wouldn’t have believed it possible, but the four-year-old was practically jumping off the walls ready to get out and play.
With a very pregnant Pamela, due in two months, they did very little activity today. Pamela proved to be more active than either Dave or Quinn gave her credit.
They spent the morning touring the grounds and ended up in the kids arcade for most of the time.
Anya sat with Pamela at a table in the lounging area of the arcade where parents and kids could grab a bite to eat in the middle of hitting up every game and collecting tickets to win prizes.
“This is awesome!” Memphis ran over to them long enough to wave a strand of tickets twice as long as him
before taking off again, yelling, “Uncle Quinn won these!” He was gone, to meet up again with Dave and Quinn who were battling a game together.
Pamela sighed. “I think the men are worse than Memphis.”
Just as her words came out, a roar of defeat and a roar of winning came from Dave and Quinn, causing quite a scene of cheering and smacking shoulders.
Anya laughed. “I don’t think you’re wrong.”
Memphis went wild as the machine spit out another row of tickets.
“Memphis is energetic.”
“He doesn’t stop, unless I pull out a book. I love reading and this boy is my book shadow.” Pamela laughed. “We have a reading nook at the house. I am going to need that quiet time once this little one is born.” Pamela rubbed her protruding belly. “But once Dave gets home it’ll be climb the walls time.”
Anya laughed.
“Dave’s a really good guy,” she said. “I know he came off a bit harsh with you this morning and I apologize. He’s only concerned about Quinn. Quinn’s the only family he has left and, after their dad died, he sort of cut himself off from Dave. Dave didn’t take that well.”
“I’m not going to hurt Quinn.”
Pamela’s smile widened then dropped. “I know that. I have an instinct about people and I like you. Dave however, has trust issues...”
“When it comes to my family,” Anya supplied.
Pamela glanced at her husband, walking through the arcade with Memphis now on his shoulders. When she turned back to Anya, her eyes were shaded.
“I’m not in the dark about what’s happened between your family and my husband’s family. I support my husband and I stand by his side, because I understand, but at the same time, he has to put a little faith in Quinn. Quinn’s a good man. He’s loyal to his family, which is why he did what he did. Dave knows that, but he would rather have his brother than answers. Both men are stubborn as hell.” She chuckled, and then shyly looked at Anya. “Is the file going to destroy all the men in my life?”
How did she even know Anya had connections to the file? Had Quinn told her or was she guessing? Either way, lying to this woman would not be in the best interest to keep her trust.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them.”
Pamela looked away, again in the direction of the Barker boys, a worried look on her face. “I hope not.”
The topic dropped between the women. When Memphis came to the table claiming to have the neatest thing in the world to show his mother, Pamela left with him.
Quinn sat next to Anya. “Hey, sweetheart.” He kissed the side of her head, then grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite. “This is good,” he said with a mouthful.
Anya slapped him. “That’s disgusting.”
He held a bottle of pop toward her. “Want a sip?” he teased. “Join me with a little burp action.”
She grinned at him. “Are you finding yourself amusing?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“You’re worse than the children here.”
Quinn chuckled and finished his slice. When he was ready to take off and find Memphis, Anya stopped him.
“Quinn, we have to meet my mom in less than an hour.”
“I know.”
“You should invite Dave.”
Quinn visibly tensed. His light-hearted joking gone.
“He has as much right to see them as you do. He’s here. You could do it together.”
Quinn’s jaw ticked and Anya touched it. “I really think you should invite him.”
Quinn turned in his seat to face her head-on. “He’s been nice to you this morning, but he’s been trying really damn hard. He’s trying to take me home and forget about you and the files.”
“All the more reason to invite him. Give him a reason to trust me, and my family.”
“He might never...”
“But if we don’t try he will never have the opportunity to prove us wrong.”
Quinn thought about it for a moment. “Fine.”
Anya beamed.
“If he misbehaves, I will personally remove him myself.”
She grunted. “I would like to see that. I think he can take you.”
The comment humored Quinn and his face lit up. “Do you now?”
Anya kissed him, hoping they’d made the right decision.
***
THEY MET WITH Eliza that afternoon, as planned, but with Dave alongside. He trusted her family as much as Quinn had once trusted them: not at all.
Quinn was still unsure about extending an invitation to Dave. Their morning at the arcade was enjoyable, but Pamela had taken position as referee between the brothers. It was nothing new for them.
Now, meeting the woman married to the man Dave despised, made Quinn nervous. It was another situation where Quinn thought it would be better if he had given Dave the information alone, so his ignorance would go unheard. Anya had convinced him otherwise.
Watching Dave’s scorned face, Quinn was nervous about listening to Anya instead of going with his own gut.
Their meeting took place around a wrought iron and tile patio set in front of Eliza’s suite, located in the pool room.
Pamela and Memphis joined Anya’s family at the pool, discovering the area behind the waterfall that Anya had explained was where her brother’s bat cave had once been. Memphis was overwhelmed with excitement.
Quinn caught sight of the folders sitting neatly piled on the table in front of Eliza. Anya had given her mother a head’s up about Dave. Quinn still didn’t see this meeting going smoothly.
“Mom, this Dave Barker, Max’s son. Dave this is my mother, Eliza Caliendo.”
Let the games begin.
Dave shook her hand, but didn’t hide his uncertainty. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Quinn eyes darted between the two. He realized he was holding his breath.
Dave didn’t sit. “I have one question,” he said to Eliza in a bad-mannered tone that didn’t sit well with Quinn. He’d raised Dave better than this.
Eliza didn’t even flinch. “Go ahead.”
“How can we trust you?”
Damn it, Dave.
Quinn reached for Dave’s arm to stop him. There was no need to disrespect Eliza when she was working together with them.
Anya grabbed Quinn’s thigh, digging her little fingers into the material, forcing him to look at her. She shook her head at him.
Did she want him to just sit here while Dave gave it his all?
Her eyebrows popped upwards demanding he stop.
Quinn retracted.
Eliza was fully capable of holding her own, but there was a lot of anger built up in Dave.
“I can see how trusting a Caliendo would be difficult for you.” Eliza spoke in a tone sympathetic to Dave while still expecting respect.
Dave ignored her. “I would say impossible.”
Quinn clamped his jaw so tight his teeth hurt. He hoped Dave didn’t mess up this opportunity to see the file.
“Is that Nikki’s file?” Dave asked, nodding at the stack of manila folders in front of Eliza
Eliza nodded. “Yes. Nikki’s, yours, Quinn’s, and Max’s.”
Dave sat down, but his strong stare didn’t stray from Eliza. “So what you’re telling me is that you are going to hand over files that might have vital information about each of us and that could also contain things that could hold evidence against your husband’s past actions?”
Quinn felt Anya’s hands grip his leg harder with her own worry. They were never going to see the files.
“There is nothing in these files about Robert,” Eliza confirmed.
“So you’ve read them?” Dave didn’t look surprised but the look he sent carried a shit load of blame.
“Yes.”
“You could have taken parts out?” Dave accused.
“Yes, I could have. But I did nothing of the sort.”
Eliza slid the files to Dave, but he didn’t even gi
ve them a glance.
Quinn’s fingers were itching to yank them off the table and scroll through them. Dave might not trust Eliza, but Quinn did.
He remained seated with his hands fisted on his lap, letting Dave and Eliza play this out. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but, right now, he was irrelevant.
“I did not condone nor partake in whatever business my deceased husband did on the side. I am not here to protect him−”
Dave interrupted. “But if his discretions were brought to light it would hurt your family? Therefore doesn’t that give you motive to keep things from us?”
“I suppose it does,” Eliza agreed.
“There’s no supposing about it.”
Eliza sighed. Her first sign of weakness, or exhaustion, from a fight she recognized she couldn’t win.
“You have no reason to trust me. I have no reason to trust you. Do you see how big this file is?” Eliza held up the top file. “This is a needle in a haystack of information your father dug up on people. All that is in this file is enough proof to maintain your father’s silence if he had ever chosen to walk away from Robert. Just because your dad wasn’t an honest man doesn’t make you a dishonest man and the same goes for me.”
“I don’t believe you didn’t know what Robert was doing.”
Eliza’s eyes glazed over and coolness came over her. “One cannot even imagine the things that I have seen since he passed.” She took a deep breath. “With that said, I haven’t sat back and done nothing. No, I won’t let what Robert has done ruin my family, but I also won’t allow us to live with the knowledge of his actions and not do anything about it.”
Quinn wondered what she meant. It sounded like she was helping people. It gave Quinn hope.
“These are the files you seek. I hope you will find the answers you need. I did not take anything out and I hope you find the peace you are searching for.”
Eliza stood up.
“Eliza wait.” Quinn stood with her. “I’m not looking for just these files,” he said.
“Quinn?” Anya asked.
“What Robert did was unacceptable. He hurt people and ruined innocent lives for his own gain and I was a part of it for two years. Not for the money.” Quinn took a deep breath. “I was planning on finding Nikki’s file and exposing Robert while bringing justice to my sister.”