“Christmas or Fourth of July?” he asked.
We looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Christmas.”
“Cats or dogs?” I asked.
“Neither,” he said definitively. “I’ve spent years cleaning up after kids; I don’t need one more thing in the mix.”
“Preach.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the Charleston Police Department. My stomach gripped as I noticed rows of police cars all in a straight line. Price put the car in park. “Let’s go get that sister of yours.”
“Is it bad that I can’t wait to rub this in her face?”
“Sounds to me like she has it coming.”
“Hello,” I said sunnily as soon as we entered, walking up to the desk. “I’m here to pick up my sister, Quinn Taylor.”
The woman nodded, nonplussed.
“What’s she in for anyway?”
The woman smirked. “Stabbing someone.”
“What?” Now my heart was racing. I hadn’t imagined she was in for somethingserious. I looked at Price. “I swear, it’s normally stuff like public drunkenness or skinny-dipping or possession or something. She’s not like acriminalcriminal.”
“Oh yeah,” Price said. “Doesn’t sound like it.” He looked at me skeptically.
A few minutes later, Quinn appeared, looking contrite. I didn’t even know what to say to her, but she spoke first. “Thank you so much, Gray. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
She looked at Price and then back at me, and I could tell she was about to say something, but she refrained. I squeezed the top of her arm and pulled her into the corner. “Stabbing, Quinn? Seriously? What in the hell is wrong with you? Where did Sister Mary Quinn go?”
“It was self-defense,” she said. “Turns out Elijah wasn’t exactly who I thought he was.”
“They never are, honey,” Price chimed in. “They never are.”
“Oh,” I said. “Price, this is my sister, Quinn. Quinn, Price. We met tonight, and he brought me here to bail you out of jail.”
“Yikes,” she said. “So, not the first impression you were hoping for.” Then she added under her breath, knowing full well he could hear her, “He’s kind of handsome.”
As we walked out the door, I said, “Oh, wait. No pamphlets? No lecture on how I should be at Greg’s singing him love songs? No indictments on what the devil is going to do with me, jailbait?”
She shook her head. “I said I’m sorry, okay? The past few weeks have been… eye-opening.”
It was crazy. It was as if my sister, the girl I had grown up with, was back. I was caught in this middle ground between horrified and relieved. Honestly, I would rather bail her out of jail than have her completely brainwashed. It was sad that this was an improvement. What had happened to my sister? And was she really back for good?
Price opened my door and said, behind his hand but so Quinn could hear him, “Sounds like the Kool-Aid wore off.”
“Is Elijah, like, okay?” I asked hesitantly.
“Oh, I hope not,” Quinn said.
I turned to look at her in awe as Price pulled out of the parking lot.
“I just stabbed his arm, Gray. Geez. And, like I said, it was in self-defense. He’s fine. He probably needs, like, three stitches.” I heard her add under her breath: “Little bitch.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. It did seem like the Kool-Aid had worn off. Six months ago, if I had said “bitch,” I would have gotten a pamphlet.
“So…” I was waiting for details.
