“You’ve no idea,Ms. Shaw.”
My hip is smarting, and now I’m horny too. Great, that’s not how I expected that conversation to go, not that I can complain.
Chapter 21
Quinn
Now dressed, we’re sitting at a small dinette table in the kitchen—more evidence his place is larger than mine. I didn’t have a table, just a bar along the counter with two stools. “It was pretty late when you guys got done last night,” I comment, hoping it will spur them into sharing what they found out yesterday.
Evan shovels another bite of eggs into his mouth. Having gourmet meals delivered at a whim is a pretty nice perk of working at Havenfall. “It was,” he agrees after swallowing.
“How did it go?” My voice is a little high. I’m not sure if I should be prying, but I’m curious by nature.
“We found out who was responsible for the drugs.” Griffin is casually leaning back in his chair, looking like some business mogul ready to dominate a boardroom, on a Sunday no less.
“Was it Letty?” I peer up at him eagerly.
Evan is the one who answers. “No, but she managed to make a fairly convincing case against herself for her involvement, considering the shit she did. It would have been easy to pin it on her if Rand had any sense.”
“So it was Rand.” I push my eggs around on my plate, already full from the toast and orange marmalade I started with.
“It was, but there were other factors,” Griffin acknowledges. Geez, do they know getting information out of them is like pulling teeth?
“Like?” I encourage.
“HERO,” Evan says with a sneer, then sits back and wipes his mouth with a napkin before tossing it to the table. My heart sinks. I’m well aware of the Human Eternal Rights Organization, my parents are big contributors. Their views have been pushed down my throat for as long as I can remember.
“H-How are they involved?” I stutter, and the sinking feeling in my stomach intensifies.
“Rand was accepting money from them to provide the unblooded vamps with blood, hoping it would cause bloodlust when they transitioned. I’m sure they thought it could instill fear and get more supporters for their cause if there was a rash of ravenous vampires wreaking havoc and killing.” Griffin sounds almost bored as he explains.
“Holy shit.” A rare curse falls from my lips. Griffin tilts his head and raises his brow. My reaction got more of a response from him than the whole ordeal he just described.
“Apparently, Havenfall isn’t the only place they have moles,” Evan adds.
“Which is why I need to go into my office and make some calls today.” That explains why he’s in a suit so early.
I bite my bottom lip, feeling the need to confess for sins I haven’t committed. Evan reaches for my hand. “What’s up?” His eyes are narrowed on me as if he already knows something.
Clearing my throat, I divulge, “My parents, they, uh, they’re members, contributors, supporters, sympathizers. Whatever they call themselves.” As I ramble, I’m unable to make eye contact with either of them.
Neither of them breathes a word after my confession. As the seconds tick by, my heart rate speeds up. I tug my hand out from under Evan’s and clasp them in my lap. “I’ve never been part of that,” I add in a rush. Movement draws my eye, and I peek up to see Griffin rubbing his temple as if he’s fighting a headache.
“My father encouraged my brothers to kill me before I reached maturity because he knew I would be their alpha, and you already know some of what his father did.” Evan nods his head in Griffin’s direction. “We’ve both got you beat in the screwed up family department.”
I lift my gaze to Evan’s and see the sincerity in his eyes. I can almost feel the reassurance he’s sending my way. “Still, you should know. My parents, they weren’t supportive of my career choice. They probably wouldn’t have even helped me pay for school if they knew what I planned to do with my degree. No. I know they wouldn’t have,” I admit. “They disowned me when I took the job here.” I shrug. It hurts, but it’s not like it came as a surprise. I was well aware of their beliefs long before I made my decision to work with supernaturals.
Evan reaches for my hand again and squeezes it lightly. “It’s their loss.” I give him a forced smile as a thank you. What else can you say to that?
“We should get going. I have calls to make, and you have things that need your attention.” Griffin sounds cool, detached, as he stands, ignoring everything I’ve just revealed.
“I’ll just wait here?” It comes out like a question, but it’s clear from Griffin’s demeanor I wasn’t invited. I’m not mad he needs some time to digest my confession. I’m a little hurt by how cold he’s acting, but everyone handles things differently. I can deal.
“Yeah,” Evan finally answers. “Hang out, relax. I’m sure we won’t be too long.” He tries to sound upbeat, but I see how his eyes keep darting in Griffin’s direction as if he’s waiting for him to say or do something.
“I would appreciate it if you would stay here.” Griffin makes a point to look directly at me. His tone suggests I’m an errant child as opposed to his lover.
“But you have Rand, and Michelle’s not here anymore.” I wait for his explanation.
