Quinn got up and started toward the container. “This is Quinn Byrne, who am I talking to?”
* * * *
Jimmy spoke with the head of the task force and while Quinn supervised that, Aaron came to him with the remnants of the first-aid kit.
Obediently, Quinn stripped off his shirts and let him do his thing. It settled Aaron, taking care of him, and if Quinn was honest, he was glad that he wouldn’t have to face Charlie and Lennox in bloody clothes.
When the Vegas cops arrived with a member of the LVMPD Human Trafficking Task Force—what a fucking mouthful—Jimmy was settled on his mattress again. The EMTs arrived soon after, and took care of Jimmy’s injury. They also checked out the sheriff, but deemed him only bruised as expected.
“So, what exactly went on here?” one of the cops, detective something, asked Quinn and he started to explain it from the start.
They questioned Aaron and Brody briefly too, with Brody promising to be across the road if needed.
“And you two?” the detective asked.
“I’m going wherever he’s going.” Aaron stared at her.
She grinned. “Day said you’re leaving town.”
“Yeah. I’ve done this enough times now I know how it goes. Call me if you need me, but Brody will have all the info. Despite being a pothead, he’s honest to a fault. Oh, and here’s my backup weapon.” He handed it over, happy that his main Glock hadn’t been fired so he didn’t have to give it up. The backup one could go. Aaron had looked amused when he’d realized Quinn’s attachment to the other one, but he’d been a soldier, so he knew how that went.
* * * *
It was close to ten when they finally made it to the meeting spot. They’d decided to take Quinn’s car and buy a more spacious one on the way. It was time to go.
Charlie sat behind the wheel with Lennox on the passenger’s seat. They looked at Quinn and Aaron in the back.
“You guys look like sh—crap,” Lennox said for the second time. He was tired and not at all surprisingly excited as hell about what’d been going on that night.
“He’s right. Sleep, all three of you. I’ll drive until I can’t anymore and I’ll find us a motel.”
“North, then east,” Quinn said, trying to get comfortable. “The truck is coming from the east, from the 319, so better get out of the way.” He was drooping immediately. The ibuprofen Charlie had fed him as they changed cars started to take the edge off.
“Alrighty. Now sleep.”
They had pillows and blankets, and soon enough, Quinn fell asleep to the sound of the engine.
He didn’t wake up again until the car stopped. Aaron was still asleep next to him, leaning to the other window because he’d refused to lean onto Quinn in case he’d hurt him.
Lennox was out like a light too. Speaking of which, the sky was light, and when Charlie noticed him awake, she smiled.
“We’re in Salt Lake City,” she whispered. “I’m going to go get us rooms. Try to get the boys up, will ya?” She looked tired, but then she had driven for…at least five hours.
“Sure.”
He gently shook Aaron’s shoulder and then poked at Lennox, tugging at his hair and the blanket he was wrapped in until he got an extremely grumpy “Stoppit!” in response.
“We’re in Salt Lake City, kid, your mom needs to rest and we need to get some breakfast and we need to shower. You can sleep more in a motel room.”
“How are you feeling?” Aaron asked, nodding at his arm.
“I’m fine. Or will be fine. I’ll drop by a clinic in town before we leave. Get some antibiotics just in case. If we’ll be driving for days, might be worth it not to get it infected.” He tried a rakish grin, but Aaron rolled his eyes.
“You better not get gangrene and lose a limb, one of us needs to have them all intact.”
It was Quinn’s turn to roll his eyes. He kissed Aaron, making sure to make enough smooching sounds just to get Lennox to bolt out of the car in disgust.
“Well, that worked, we need to remember it.” Aaron chuckled, and then winced with pain when he moved his leg. He’d stubbornly kept his prosthetic on and was now feeling it.
