Idressed for bed and sat myself on the couch with my laptop, awaiting Quinn’s return. I had scanned old articles that had anything to do with The Raven, and in combination with what victims had told me, I was certain I was right.
Quinn came in with a bang of the door, and kicked off his boots. He shrugged out of his jacket, letting it fall to the floor. He didn’t bother to pick it up. The bottoms of his pajamas were soaked with mud and he peeled them off, hopping on one foot and muttering cuss words when they caught.
I swiveled on the end of the couch, shutting my laptop and settingit on the glass table.
The motion elicited a startled look from Quinn in my direction. His stiff shoulders relaxed a fraction, and he tossed his pajama bottoms on top of his abandoned jacket and moved toward me, wearing only his tightie-whities and a matching tank-top.
“Liam,” he said, my name coming like a relieved sigh off his lips.
It was a warm sound that skittered over my skin, the same way the electrical current did between us when we got close. Part of me wanted to give in to the feeling, loosen with it as if it were a drug, but I was in better control of my facilities than to let that happen.
I pushed myself off the couch and faced him. Whatever my expression was, it was enough to make him stop mid-step. I didn’t beat around the bush. “I know who The Raven is.”
He braced his other foot to the floor. “You do?” But it came out less of a question, than a resignation.
“Yes, Quinn. I do.”
He drew a pattern with his sweaty sock over the floor. A triangle, or a square. “What are you going to do?” He paused, and his voice grew softer, wearier. “Report him?”
“It would be a sure way to land the features editor position.” I swallowed and searched his eyes. “But I’m not callous. Especially not when it comes to you. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know squat about The Raven. But—”
He lifted his head and angled it, reading me so intently all those tingles returned.
I shook them off. “But it has to stop, Quinn. One wrong move and it could be over. The end. I don’t think either of us wants that happen.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. “I’m trying. But it’s not as easy to stop as you think.”
“Try harder. I’ll help where I can too, just like I was helped.”
His Adam’s apple jutted hard. “You—you don’t seem surprised.I guess I expected, if you ever found out, that you’d be more... well, surprised,” he finished lamely.
“Once I put all the facts together, it just made sense. It was right under my nose the whole time”—I shrugged—“I should have seen it sooner.”
“And you’re not mad I didn’t tell you?”
So he didn’t tell me? No big deal. “Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean we’ve made promises to share all our secrets.”
“Right. Thanks.”
Our gazes held and he came forward, pushing a thick wall of tingles and goosebump soup with him. I wanted to submerge myself in it, wrap myself up in his strong arms, taste him all over again, but then I looked up. His eyes were ringed with shadows and tension, and I knew his calendar enough to know he had an early morning start tomorrow.
“Is there anything else, Liam?” he asked, a mixture of soft and tired. “Anything you might like to say to me tonight?”
I shook my head and veered around him toward my bedroom. “No. I think that’s it.”
“If you findyourself pinned to the floor, there are a few things you can do.”
I hurried in, five minutes late for my self-defense class. The mats squelched underfoot as I made my way to the semi-circle watching Quinn’s instruction, detouring briefly to dump my bag and jacket on the bench.
A quick glance at today’s participants told me Shannon wasn’t teaching today.
“First throw him off balance,” Quinn said. My gaze was drawn to him as he beckoned to Cheddar to come forward and straddle him. “Hold my wrists to the floor.” Cheddar pressed down,locking him tightly. I shuffled around the others until I could see Quinn better. His serious gaze was focused intently on Cheddar.
“Draw your attacker in,” he continued. “Likely any attackers are expecting you to shove them back, push them away, struggle. They’ll be off guard if you do the opposite. Instead”—he slid his arms over his head, effectively closing the gap between him and Cheddar—“bring them closer. As soon as they’ve lost their center of balance, thrust your hips up, like this, at the same time as you sweep your hands in an arc to your legs, and shove your attacker to the side.”
Quinn sprung to his feet and offered a hand to pull Cheddar up, who grinned like a kid. With a cursory glance around the semi-circle, Quinn stopped on me a long moment. “Partner up, and practice.”
A quick calculation told me there were an odd number of students. I had an easy solution for that and, after removing my glasses and setting them next to my bag, I headed for Quinn.
