He nods once and heads back towards our offices.
While Hunter and Mace issue instructions to their wives, I pull Quinn to one side. “I’m sorry about this.”
Quinn is trying to be nonchalant, but I see the tears in her eyes. Without warning, she slams her body against mine, her hands slipping beneath my suit jacket so she can wrap her arms around me. I’m carrying a weapon, and for a split second, I imagine her disarming me. I hate myself for thinking it, but she’s been on edge since we got back to Chicago. My brothers’ paranoia must be contagious.
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’m causing,” she whispers.
“Don’t be sorry. Just be safe.”
Her cheek is pressed to my chest when she mumbles something I don’t think I was meant to hear. I lean closer, a stupid grin on my face.
“Did you just say you loved me, Viper?”
She tips her head upwards, eyes shining. “You must have misheard.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Then mishear this. I love you too.”
“Is there any point going through this again?” I ask. “While you’re busy ostracizing Quinn, know that you’ll be pushing me away too. Wherever she goes, I go.”
I’m seated at the conference table that takes up the central position in our shared office. Ash and Hunter are directly opposite me, as is Jake. I’m hoping he won’t be as closed minded, and can come up with a plan to neutralize any influence Ilya might have over Quinn.
Mace has the seat next to me, although he’s barelypresent at all. He has a tablet propped up on the table, his phone in his hand and an earpiece so he’s in direct contact with Simon. The information relayed so far is that the three women have taken a window seat at Ruby’s. Simon and Levi are at the next table, and one of our vehicles is parked directly in front of the coffee shop.
“Do you have a solution?” Ash asks me.
I’m tempted to reply with a snarky comment about treating Quinn like someone in need of our help, instead of a contagion, but this is Ash. “You made a big deal about Mace and I giving up our apartment and moving back to the house because it’s safer. Why can’t we take Quinn back home too?”
“You know why. Ilya would love to cause mayhem at the heart of our organization. The house and these offices are out of bounds,” he says. “And to be clear, I don’t ever want a repeat of earlier. Quinn doesn’t enter our private space without full agreement.”
I shrug. “Yeah, well, I’m sorry if I put you in a difficult position. It was a spur of the moment decision.”
“Who suggested it?” asks Hunter, glancing at me briefly before his gaze flicks back to Mace. Neither of them will relax until Maddie and Lily are back in the office.
“She asked to come along for the drive, and I was the one who invited her up here,” I say. I don’t add that she hadn’t wanted to let go of my hand.
Hunter waits for Mace to confirm that’s his understanding too. Quinn’s phone was in her purse, so of course he was listening in.
“Seemed to me like she was fishing for an invite.”
“Firstly, stop listening into our conversations,” I say, making a grab for his phone to see if he’s tapping into Quinn’s cell right now. When Mace extends his arm tokeep it out of reach, I don’t give him the satisfaction of entering into a tussle. I’ve made my point. “And secondly, you’re fucking wrong about our conversation. You heard what you wanted to hear. Your opinion is hardly objective.”
“Neither is yours,” he hits back. “And I’mnotlogged into Quinn’s phone, I can access Lily’s.”
“You still do that?”
“It makes her feel safe,” he tells me. “And Lily has nothing to hide.”
“So, Jake,” Ash says, cutting off our bickering. “Since you seem to be the only other adult in the room, how feasible would it be to maintain the present security detail at the hotel?”
“For how long?”
Ash shrugs. “Until we deem it safe to accept Quinn.”
“We have the hotel staff adding an extra safety net, so we can manage for a while,” he says. “The only alternative I could suggest is sending Reid and Quinn to an undisclosed location. My preference would be out of the country.”
“I don’t want to leave,” I say before Ash can consider it. “This thing with Ilya is going to blow up sooner or later, and I want to be involved when it happens.”
“It could be sooner than you think,” says Hunter.
