Gio pressed the call button, and just as he moved his hand off it, Ian’s body tensed and a loud beeping started from more than one machine.
For a moment that stretched on, but must’ve been less than ten seconds, Quinn sat there in shock. This was really it. He felt numb, then his senses pinpointed to the bed and what was going in and around it.
Tearing his attention away, Quinn got out of the chair as medical personnel started to filter in, and with one last look at his uncle, he left the room.
He stayed leaning to the wall next to the door to Ian’s door. By the time Karen walked toward him, raised her gaze and spotted him, the nurses and doctors were already gone.
Quinn had just enough time to rush to Karen and catch her as she collapsed.
The drive home took forever. Karen sat in the passenger’s seat, never saying a word during the whole drive.
When he drove into her yard, she turned to look at him.
“Thank you, Quinn.” Her voice was raspy from the crying. “I’ll start the funeral arrangements for hopefully tomorrow. We had a plan with the funeral home and the priest Ian liked the most, so it should be…” The words drifted off mid-sentence as her gaze wandered away from his face.
He knew grief and shock. He reached over to squeeze her fingers. “Do you want me to stay?”
She jerked, then smiled sadly at him. “I’ll call or text you. Ian wanted to be buried at midday, so once it’s all settled…”
“Tomorrow. Alright. I’ll come by first thing in the morning.” He gave her hand another squeeze and let her go.
The way she held herself and even the way she walked seemed numb. Quinn wondered if this was how Aaron’s mother had looked after that night.
He watched Karen until she was inside the house, and then drove off, toward Aaron’s place. Quinn didn’t want to,couldn’tbe alone right then. It was only afternoon, but he needed company and he didn’t have it in him to go find his no-good fucking cousin yet.
Chapter 16
Aaron didn’t hear from Quinn for the rest of the day. Charlie came by after her shift to collect Lennox, and brought takeout burgers from the diner. They ate around the rickety kitchen table, and then Charlie told Lennox to go put his bag in her car.
She lingered for a moment at the front door, watching to see he did as he was told. “Feels like a storm coming, doesn’t it?”
Aaron pressed his mouth into a thin line. “Something’s coming.”
“Have you heard from Quinn?”
Aaron shook his head.
“I don’t like this waiting game,” Charlie said, her breath coming out in a sigh. “Makes me antsy.”
“Yeah, me too.” Aaron thought of the few beers left in the refrigerator, but no. Not tonight. Not when he might need a clear head at any moment. He couldn’t deny the itch was there though, the thirst. He’d told Charlie he wasn’t an alcoholic, but maybe he was a hell of a lot closer to one than he wanted to admit. “What are they saying in town?”
“Either that Ian’s already dead, or that he’s strong as an ox and will outlive us all.” Charlie’s mouth quirked into a wry smile. “Nobody knows, basically.”
“Mom?” Lennox yelled from the car. “What are youdoing? Are we going home?”
“He’s not usually this much of a brat,” Charlie said.
“Don’t lie,” Aaron said, trying to keep a straight face. “He’s your kid, of course he is.”
She snorted and then punched him in the shoulder. “If anything happens, call me, okay?”
“Yeah. Same to you.” He watched them drive away.
He didn’t sleep well that night. Thoughts of Quinn kept him tossing and turning. Was Quinn okay? Was Jimmy coming for him next? Not for the first time, Aaron realized he had absolutely no idea how things worked in the MacGregors’ world. Quinn had always obviously loved Ian—actual love, not just the fearful obedience he’d shown his father—and Aaron had never understood that. It had seemed impossible that you should be able to love a man like Ian MacGregor who, even if he wasn’t the worst of his clan, still had very dirty hands. Aaron’s life had always been simpler: his parents had been good people and he’d loved them. He hadn’t known what it was like to love a bad person. Not until Quinn.
Unease stirred in his gut.
No, it wasn’t that simple. Quinn wasn’t a bad person, not back when they were teenagers, and not now. Everyone had always thought he was though. Everyone except maybe Aaron’s dad, who’d told Quinn that he deserved better, that hewasbetter.
