Quinn let out a mirthless laugh and nodded slowly. “I got out of fucking rehab and thought I could go visit my mom or something. Instead, I’m sent here, because this was ‘my town’ once. Because this is ‘my legacy’ and they wanted to use the inside information to make sure Jimmy wouldn’t fuck things up.”
“So the rehab thing is real, then,” Aaron murmured.
For some reason the fact thatthatwas what Aaron was most bothered about tickled Quinn’s funny bone and he started to laugh a bit hysterically. And then he couldn’t stop.
Chapter 12
Aaron exchanged a dubious glance with Charlie as Quinn sprawled on the couch, laughing like he’d heard the world’s most hysterical joke. None of it made any sense to Aaron—or it made perfect sense, because Quinn had been born fucking contrary, and what was more contrarian than a MacGregor deciding to become a cop? It was just that it was the last thing Aaron would have imagined too, because Quinn had hated authority when they were kids; cops, teachers, adults of all stripes—the only adults Quinn had listened to had been the adults in the MacGregor clan, but at least half of them, and Aaron had always suspected maybe more than that, had beaten that compliance into him.
He reached forward and picked up Quinn’s badge off the coffee table, part of him expecting it to be some cheap Halloween costume piece. But it was heavy and real. Aaron held it in his palm and brushed the shield with his thumb. “Okay, so that’s why you want Charlie and Lennox safe. Because there’s a good chance people will do the math and realize Lennox is your kid.”
Charlie pressed her mouth into a thin line, but she didn’t say anything.
“Why me?” Aaron asked, feeling a flutter in his stomach. “Does anyone know about us?”
Quinn’s laughter faded and his smile vanished. “No, but I’ve got the eyes of the whole town on me right now, Aaron. And it feels like you’re written all over my face.”
That flutter again. Aaron raised his eyebrows. “If that’s true, then you must be shit at undercover work.”
Quinn’s mouth twitched in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it grin. “Or maybe you’ve always been my weak spot, Aaron Larsen.”
“Or maybe it’s the perfect job for you because you’ve always been full of crap,” Aaron shot back.
Quinn’s grin lingered this time, but it didn’t reach his eyes. This was a dangerous situation, and they all knew it. “So that’s the deal. My being here is going to seriously stir shit up with the clan. Except I’m not here to take over, or to challenge Jimmy, I’m here to get intel on the Burned Skulls. Maybe even get an in with them. But I can’t trust that Jimmy’s not going to flip out, you know? Which means that anyone I care about, or anyone JimmythinksI care about, is in danger.” He looked between them. “I want you guys to leave town.”
Aaron blinked at him. “Leave town?”
Charlie snorted. “Yeah, if I was able to just pack up and leave, do you really think I’d still be here, Quinn? You think I want my son to grow up in this shithole?”
“I’m not bullshitting, Charlie. This is serious.” Quinn held her gaze, the muscle in his jaw ticking.
“Yeah,” Aaron said. “I mean, I’ve got the house, but Uncle Will has said he can take care of selling it for me. I wanted to get it fixed up some more, but…” He shrugged. “I don’t need the money.”
Charlie raised her eyebrows. “Must be nice.”
Aaron exhaled. “My point is, I’m here because I’ve got nowhere else to be right now. I came here to figure all this shit out. Where the hell am I supposed to go?”
Quinn’s brow furrowed. “Jesus, Aaron. When someone tells you to get on the lifeboat, you don’t ask where it’s headed. This isn’t just Jimmy I’m talking about, though he’s enough of a psycho. This is the Burned Skulls. Do you guys know what they do to people who cross them? Or people they’re making an example of? By the time they’re through cutting pieces off you inch by inch, you’ll be thanking them when they make you dig your own graves out in the desert.” His voice hardened. “And Lennox’s.”
Charlie blanched.
“Okay,” Aaron said, reaching out to touch the back of Charlie’s hand. “That’s enough, okay? You don’t need to paint us a picture.”
Quinn raised his eyebrows. “You sure about that?”
“My dad lives here,” Charlie said, her voice soft. “And I know he’s a piece of crap, but he’s still my dad, and Lennox loves him. Even if I could leave, what the hell am I supposed to do about him? He can’t manage on his own.”
“I don’t give a fuck about your dad,” Quinn said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t. I care about you, and I care about my son.”
Charlie’s eyes blazed. “He’smyson. He is not your son. You’re the sperm donor, remember? You didn’t even know he existed a week ago.”
Quinn lifted his chin. “That’s low, Charlie. How the hell was I supposed to know?”
“Stop,” Aaron said firmly. “Both of you, okay? But Charlie, if Quinn says that he’s worried about our safety, then that’s what we need to focus on right now. So maybe it’s time to cut ties with your dad and—”
“And what?” Charlie shook her head. “And listen to you two instead? The two guys who were most important to me, whobothjust fucked off and left town without a word? And now you’re both going to ride in and white knight me, like I need saving?”
“It’s not just about you though,” Aaron said. “Is it? It’s about Lennox too. You have every right to hate both of us—I’m not going to argue about that—but Quinn is telling you that Lennox is in danger.”
