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A scream echoes through my head as more tears fall and I mash my lips together. Every part of my body wants to run to her, shake her, force her to wake up but the gun in Dad’s hand keeps me rooted to this spot. Taking a step back, I carefully shut the door and turn to Clay as silent tears fall down my face.
“Get dressed now and be quiet.”
He shakes his head. “What’s going on, Luke? Where’s Mom? I want Mom.”
I choke back a sob and shake my head, crossing the room to his bed. I grab his arms and hold them firmly. “This is important, Clay. You have to be quiet and we have to go, now. Get dressed.”
“What about Mom?” he asks again and I shake my head.
“We’ll come back for Mom tomorrow but for now, she’s safe.” I hate lying to him but I have to get him out of here. When he nods, I release him and go to the closet, grabbing my backpack before I start shoving clothes in it. When it’s full and I’m dressed, I zip it up and turn back to Clay as I throw it on my back.
He shifts on his feet, looking between me and the door and I shake my head, pointing to the window.
“This way.”
He glances at the door. “Are you sure, Luke?”
“Hey, I’m your big brother. Would I ever lie to you?”
He shakes his head. “No. Never.”
“Smith?” someone asks, jerking me awake, and I blink into the harsh overhead lights of the clubhouse as I open my eyes. Blaze arches a brow and glances down at the half empty bottle of whiskey on the table in front of me and I sigh as I lean forward, grab it, and raise the bottle to my lips. “What’s going on, brother?”
I shake my head, tears welling up in my eyes as I remember leaving Quinn in her office hours ago. “I…Fuck. It’s all fucked, Blaze.”
“What’s going on, Smith?” he asks, his voice taking on a serious tone as he sits down next to me and I take another swig of liquor.
“My brother….” It’s all I can choke out without a deluge of unbearable emotions drowning me.
“Did something happen? Is he okay?”
I shake my head. “Quinn was raped a couple years ago. That’s how she got pregnant with Brooklyn.”
“Okay…”
“They never caught her rapist.”
His brows furrow as he studies me. “Where the hell is this going, Luke?”
“Clay is the man who raped her. She saw him at the baby shower and recognized him instantly.”
“Oh, fuck,” he whispers, running a hand through his hair. “Jesus Christ.”
I nod, taking another swig of whiskey. This damn thing was full when I started drinking but it’s still not enough to dull the pain.
“What are you going to do?”
I let out a humorless laugh before pouring more alcohol down my throat. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”
Chapter Nineteen
Quinn
I stumble out of the bar and press my hand along the rough brick of the building as I stop and lean against it, sucking in a breath before I drop my head back and stare up at the few stars that I can see through the city lights. Music pumps from the bar as the door opens again and I fight back a smile. Despite my reluctance to come out tonight and the rough start to our evening, I’m glad my girls talked me into going out with them. It’s exactly what I needed after moping over my breakup with Danny for the past couple months - not that I regret it. Ending things was the right choice but I had our future mapped out in my mind and losing that has left me feeling a little lost. Tonight feels like the start of something really good though and for the first time in a while, I’m excited for what’s to come. Grams signed EQA Events over to me last week and officially retired. I’m scared to take the business she built from the ground up into my hands but I also haven’t felt this alive in a long time - before things ended with Danny - and it tells me I’m finally on the right track. Hell, I would even be open to dating again if the opportunity presented itself so I think that means I’m doing all right.
A scraping sound draws my attention back to the door. There’s a man by the door but he’s completely oblivious to me, staring at the sidewalk and smoking a cigarette so I turn back to the sky as a warm breeze brushes over my skin. I should get back inside before the girls come out looking for me. My head is still spinning though and I think I’m about ready to call it a night. I push off the wall and turn toward the door but before I can take a step, two large arms wrap around me and I scream.
“Shut up,” his voice hisses in my ear as a hand clamps down on my mouth and he starts pulling me away from the door. I search for the man that was smoking a cigarette, hoping he can help me, but the sidewalk is empty. I scream against the hand on my lips and kick my legs, trying desperately to escape. He’s too strong. My heart thunders against my rip cage as he pulls me into the alley on the side of the bar and tears sting my eyes.
