Page 60 of Hollow Trace

“I know where I’ll land.”

“Good.” He pushed out his chair and rounded the table. “Looks like we’ve got a plan. I’ll contact your Staff Sergeant. Come up with some plausible joint task force bullshit that I need you on for the next couple of weeks. Give you some time to lose that sling. In the meantime, get some rest. We’ll reconvene once Gideon, Zadie, and Darwin have more intel.”

Scout stared at Quinn, heart hammering, chest so damn full she thought it might burst. She palmed his face when he stared down at her, eyes bright, only a hint of pain bleeding through. “God, Quinn. Are you sure? I mean, I know how much staying on the right side of the law means⁠—”

He kissed her.

Just leaned in, slanted his mouth over hers and cut her off, taking her from exhausted to energized in a heartbeat. She gave herself over to the kiss, staying close once he’d finally let them come up for air.

He tucked her hair behind her ear. “A hundred percent certain, baby. No hesitations. No doubts. Though, it does mean we’ll be shacking up most nights. You good with that?”

“I think that’s a sword I can fall on. There’s just one condition.”

“Name it.”

“We make it a permanent arrangement. Because I’m done waiting for the perfect time. Now’s perfect.”

“Deal. Now, how about we head back to our room and sleep because my ribs are killing me, and you look even more like a piñata than before.”

Our room.

“We’ll grab some muffins first, though, right?”

“Hell, yeah.”

Scout slowly rose, every bruise and cut burning to life. Taking his hand when he held it out, she stepped in close. “I love you.”

“Love you more, baby.”

“We’ll see about that. But before we go, there’s just one more thing…” She tiptoed up, got lover close. “Welcome to Black Hollow.”

EPILOGUE

Three weeks later…

“Are you sure, Quinn?”

Quinn waited beside Scout in the main living area, Gus and Darwin standing in front, mouths pursed tight, brows furrowed. Quinn had finally ditched the sling, just the odd bite in his ribs as a reminder of all he could have lost.

How much he’d gained. That he’d pay any price to keep his family safe.

Keep Scout safe.

Brea made the rounds behind him, hugging his teammates and stealing a container of muffins for the road. She’d gotten a clean bill of health, and physically, all that was left of the ordeal were a couple of slowly fading scars.

But mentally…

Quinn raked his hand through his hair. “Trust me, I’ve discussed it at length with Brea.”

Gus glanced at Quinn’s sister. “I meant what I said. She’s welcome to stay until we end this with Finch.”

“I know. And if it was just her physical safety I was worried about, I wouldn’t even consider moving her, but…”

Darwin looked down. He’d gone above and beyond for Brea, but only time would heal the wounds he couldn’t mend. “She’s still having night terrors?”

Quinn nodded, glancing at Scout, needing her easy acceptance to keep going. “She bolted into our room last night with a knife from the kitchen. Thought Hackett was stalking her through the bunker. It took some careful maneuvering to disarm her without causing more trauma.”

“There might be medications I could try…”