Quinn
We arrive outside the house. I clutch my hands together, placing them between my legs, squeezing as I try and force them to stop shaking. I look up slowly, focusing my eyes on the front door. I have to find the strength to go in there, knowing that Mom and that piece of shit Jared will be in there. I swallow down a lump of nerves that has manifested in my throat.
“You okay, Quinn?” Josh places a gentle hand on the top of my leg. I look up at him through the loose strands of hair that are covering my face. I never wanted to be that person that relied upon someone. But right now, I need him. I’m not sure I can go inside without him by my side.
“Please come in with me,” I whisper, but it’s every bit the plea I intended it to be. I need him to know how much I need him without having to say it.
“Of course,” he smiles, taking my hand in his. “We’re in this together.”
I lift his hand, kissing the back lightly. No one ever met my parents. My home life was one I always kept a secret, try to separate myself from the shit that happened in those four walls.
“This ain’t gonna be pretty,” I exhale, my shoulders sagging involuntarily. “My mom’s a mess, and well, that asshole of a boyfriend is no better.”
“Right,” he nods his head ever so slightly. “I’m with you, babe. No matter what.”
“Please don’t hate me. I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about me after we have been in there,” I say honestly. And it’s the truth, A truth that has eaten away at me the whole time I’ve known him.
“Never,” he lets out in a low growl. “Nothing could ever change the way I feel about you, Quinn.”
I allow my eyes to flutter shut as I push myself onto my tiptoes, kissing him lightly on the lips. I hope and pray that he’s right.
“Let’s do this,” I pull in a huge breath, releasing it slowly in an attempt to calm my ragged nerves. I open the door, jumping out and standing nervously on the sidewalk. I shake my legs, forcing my trembling hands into my pockets.
“Hey,” Josh whispers. “It will be okay, I promise.” He pushes his arms through mine, pulling me into him, my head landing on his upper arm.
“I really hope so,” I say as I lean into him, my words rumbling against his toned arm. I pull back and stop for a second, my eyes scraping over Josh’s face, my mind desperately trying to make a carbon copy of his face in my brain.
I might just need to remember just how handsome, just how lucky I am to have known Josh Larson.
I remove my hands clutching his in mine, squeezing and holding onto him like my life depends on it. We walk up the three steps to the front of the house. With a shaking clenched fist, I knock three times on the whitewash door. I roll my lips between my teeth, nervously glancing at Josh as I wait for someone to answer the door.
Seconds feel like hours.
Each breath feels like a fight to breathe.
My heart pounds at an unhealthy pace waiting for someone to answer.
“Let me try again,” Josh offers, reaching up to connect his knuckles with the door. Then, suddenly, the door is yanked open; a face I fear appears, glaring at us, his head looks between me and Josh.
“What the hell do you want?” he glowers at me, the venom in his voice causing me to shudder.
“Where is she? I need to know she’s okay,” I blurt out, giving Josh’s hand a little squeeze, needing to know he’s still with me. He turns to me, smiling a little, giving me a nod of approval.
“None of your goddamn business, now get off my porch.” I watch, as if in slow motion, as he pushes against the door, trying to close it in my face. Josh takes one step forward, blocking the door with his foot.
“Sir, you were asked a question and it would be polite to answer Quinn. She just wants to know her sister is okay.”
He yanks the door open, stepping closer to Josh. “How fucking dare you,” he spits at him through clenched teeth. “Get your fucking foot out of the way before I do something you’ll live to regret.”
“Who is it, Jared?” the words roll off her tongue with a slur. “Who the fuck is bothering us today?” she yells louder. Jared turns his head to acknowledge my mother. His grip loosens on the door, and I take my chance. I slip through the narrow gap, pushing on the door, making my way inside. I charge through, my head swinging room side to side as I scan desperately for Olivia.
“Liv,” I call out, “Livia, are you here? It’s Quinn.”
“Don’t. You. Dare!” my mom screeches loudly, her hand landing heavily on my chest.
“Where is she?” I yell in her face, “I swear to god, if you’ve hurt her, I’ll … I’ll …”
“You’ll what?” She asks, grabbing the front of my top clenching her fist and pulling it until our faces are nearly touching.
“Where is she?” I avoid her question, covering his hands with my own, trying to get her to release her hold on me. I can’t afford a fight with Mom, I need to try and focus on finding my sister.
“Please, ma’am, Quinn just wants to know Olivia is okay. Can you at least let her see her?” Josh is behind me, the heat of his body radiates against my back, his hand resting gently on my hip. Mom’s focus is now on Josh, her hands relax and she releases me from her grip. I reach down, placing my palm over the back of his hand.
“Mom,” I snap, bringing her attention back to me. “Why hasn’t she been at school?”
“Who is this?” She points an unsteady finger at Josh, her eyes still boring into him. “And what the fuck is he doing with you?” She rakes her eyes over my body, flaring her nostrils and grimacing as she takes me in. The look of disgust plastered on her scowling face.
“Don’t speak about Quinn like that,” Josh interjects. “She’s just as pretty on the outside as she is on the inside. It’s just a shame you can’t see past the end of the bottle to see that.”
“How dare you come in here and judge me,” she snorts in indignation. “You don’t know the first thing about me or my family.”
As we stand at the bottom of the stairs, my eyes flit between Mom and the dark staircase. I need to get up there.
“I’m going to check upstairs,” I say, sliding from Josh’s hold and racing to get my foot on the first step.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Jared chuckles; placing his hand on the wall, blocking my path. “GET. OUT. Or I call the police!” he roars in my face. I can’t help the tremble that runs through me.
“Call them,” I say through clenched teeth. “Maybe they’ll be interested to know why I’m so concerned about my little sister.”
“Olivia is not your concern,” my mother yells. “You don’t live here anymore.”
“And why is that, mother?” I dart out my tongue, wetting my dry lips. “Why is it I no longer live here, huh?” I prompt her to admit the one thing she never acknowledged.
“Because you’re a dirty little whore set out to ruin my life.”
I feel the rage rising inside of me as I lurch forward, only to be stopped by Josh’s as the palm of his hand lands softly against the top of my chest. “A whore?” I gasp, “Is that what you call your daughter who was molested by your boyfriend, huh? A whore?”
“You asked for it. You wanted him, you seduced him even,” she taunts.
“You’re not fit to call yourself a mother!” I scream out so loudly he burns my throat. “He threatened me. He made me keep quiet for the last eight years. And you know why?” My voice wavers as I try to stay calm despite the emotional turmoil. “He told me if I didn’t keep quiet, if I told you what he was doing to me, why he was sneaking in my room most nights, then he said he would hurt her. He told me it was me or her, and I chose me,” I wail, my legs almost giving way.
“You are a young woman in your twenties and you want me to believe he forced you. You gave it willingly and you liked it. That’s why you are no longer welcome here.”
“How dare you,” I lunge forward again, a surge of adrenaline pounds through me, but I’m still held in place by Josh’s forearm. “I’m here for Olivia. I need to know he’s not hurt her, the way he hurt me.” My mom turns and staggers into the living room. “Get out,” she throws her arm in the arm, shouting back over her shoulder.
“You heard her. Get the fuck out of our house,” Jared’s hand lands heavily on my shoulder as he tries to force toward the door. I recoil, every ounce of strength I had fades into nothing. My legs are weak and my body is limp as he starts to drag me, his nails digging into the skin on my shoulders.
“Get your hands off of her,” Josh roars, his hand grips Jared’s wrist. “Don’t you dare lay a fucking finger on her,” he warns, his voice low but menacing. I manage to slip out of his grip and somehow find the strength to dart toward the stairs.
I manage to get past him, racing up the staircase faster than I ever thought possible. She has to be here. I know she’s here somewhere. I call out her name over and over, not too loud, but loud enough for her to hear me.
“Livvy,” I call out, knocking on her door. I already checked the bathroom and Mom’s room. But this door. This one is locked. I turn my head pressing my ear against the dark wooden door. I bang again, but my attention is drawn to the heavy footsteps as the thudding increases.
“Get away from the fucking door,” he growls at me, coming at me with a clenched fist and gritted teeth.
I ignore him and continue to hit my flat palm against the door. “Why is it locked, Jared? Why can’t I get into Liv’s room?” His hand grabs my wrist tightly.
I glare at him hard; he needs to know I’m not messing about here. “Get out of my house, Quinn. No one wants you here. Not me, not your mother. So get your skinny, pathetic ass outta here,” he yells, tugging at my arm.
“Not until I’ve seen Livvy,” I demand, thrusting my free hand toward the door. “Open the goddamn door. Now!” I roar, my voice echoing through the hallway. I look past Jared to see Josh stood at the top of the stairs, his hand dabbing his lip. I see the small trickle of blood and I’m hit by an overwhelming sense of guilt. Josh is hurt and it’s all my fault. I should never have brought him here. It was selfish of me to want him with me. I narrow in on him, my eyes full of concern.
“Josh,” I call over to him. “Are you okay, what happened?”
“I’m okay,” he responds with a quick smile. An unexpected arm lands heavy on my back, pushing me away from the door.
“Time to go,” Jared instructs, pushing my closer and closer to the staircase, despite my attempts to stop my feet moving. He’s just too strong.
“Get your hands off her now,” Josh jumps between the two of us. “Now! You better open the goddamn door, or so help me god, I will break it down.” Josh and Jared stand face to face, their noses practically touching.
Jared reaches forward grabbing a handful of Josh’s shirt. “I said get out,” he growls and I race over, trying to separate the two of them. Josh pushes out his hands at full stretch, sending Jared flying, his ass landing on the bare floorboards with a bang. The atmosphere tightens as I realize this is the moment. This is our chance to get in there.
“Josh,” I exclaim, “quick,” I point over to Olivia’s bedroom door, “Can you get it open?”
He swiftly nods, turning and rattling the handle. “It’s no use.” He growls, stepping back and glancing between me and Jared laid on the floor.
“My back,” Jared cries out. “I can’t move, you motherfuckers.” He continues to writhe and groan on the floor; my mother’s voice starts to call at the bottom of the stairs.
“Please, Josh,” I whisper. “You gotta get me in there.” I plead with him, and is eyes narrow in on me.
“What’s going on up there?” the vile voice of my mother calls, the usual slur of her words is just as bad as ever.
“Stand back,” Josh holds out his arm, guiding me back a little. He cocks his leg, kicking at the door with full force. He kicks once, twice, then the door flies open.
“No, you don’t,” Jared warns as he desperately tries to push himself up, only to fail miserably as he drops back against the floor with a thud. “Angela,” he calls to Mom, but I don’t stop to wait for the fallout. I dart inside the room, my eyes landing on Liv the second I step foot inside. Her arms are tied to the top of her bedframe and her legs are bound together. My heart drops into the bottom of my stomach. I cry out, racing over to her to get her out of the binds that are tying her to the bed.
“It’s okay, baby. I got you. I’m here now.” Tears stream over my face as I rip the tape from her mouth. I can hear commotion outside the room and I turn my attention to my mom trying to get past Josh.
“Quickly,” I tell her, reaching up and unfastening each tie, then finally removing the rope around her ankles. I pull her into me where I feel her head move against my chest as she silently sobs.
“I got you now. I’m here,” I soothe, rubbing my hand over the side of her head. “We got to get outta here. Stay with me. Don’t let go of my hand.” I tell her and she nods, wiping away the tears that have fallen over her face. I grab her hand, holding it tightly, never wanting to let go. Making our way over to the door, Josh places his hands on my mother’s shoulders, forcing her to step back.
“W-w-what do you think you’re doing?” she stutters, her body swaying as she tries to stand in front of me.
I position Liv behind me, her arms wrap tightly around my waist. I look to the side to see Josh stood with me, and I know I have to say something. Anything that will get us out of here.
“I’m taking Liv with me,” I say, looking her in the eye, fighting back the nerves threatening to break through. But I won’t let them. I have to be strong. Not for me. But for her.
She starts to laugh hysterically, clutching her stomach dramatically.
“I’m not joking around,” I say loudly, breaking her from her act of insanity.
“And why would I let you walk out of here with MY daughter?” She scowls at me, her lips pursed as her dark eyes stare at me.
“Because, if you don’t, I will call the police and tell them exactly how I just found your daughter, and tell them exactly what you and that piece of trash have put me through for years.” I breathe deeply, the rush of words takes my breath.
“They’ll never believe you,” she dismisses, stepping forward and trying to reach behind me. I hold out my arm.
“No,” I roar, “I’m taking her and making sure you two never, ever lay a finger on her again. And I have a witness,” I jolt my head to the side where Josh is stood. “He will verify the whole thing. You don’t stand a chance of lying your way outta this one.”
“Just take her. I don’t care anyway,” she mutters, walking over to Jared and ignoring us as she crouches down beside him. “You stupid bitch!” he yells at her, grabbing a handful of her hair and dragging her face toward his. I grab hold of Olivia, pulling her into me as we bolt down the stairs and out of the house. My heart pounds like crazy and I’m just glad to be out of there. I clutch onto Olivia as we make our way into the car. I slide her into the backseat and follow after her, pulling the door closed behind me and releasing a huge, pent up breath.
“Are you okay?” I ask, pressing one hand either side of her face. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” I search her innocent eyes, hoping for the answers. Praying I got there in time.
“Mom was so angry,” she sniffles, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I just wanted to go to school. Mom was so drunk she tried to stop me. When I argued back with her, she slapped me across the face and then tied me to the bed. Told me she wanted to teach me a lesson.” The tears stream down her face, and I pull her into my chest, holding her there tightly.
“I’m ready when you are,” Josh’s head appears between the seats.
“Oh, sure,” I flash him a smile, reaching behind Olivia for the seatbelt. “Let’s get our belts on and get away from this place. Forever,” I say with a whisper.
Josh
The short journey back to my apartment, I listen in as Quinn talks with Olivia. On the outside, I’m calm and cool because adding my anger to the situation would be liking adding fuel to the fire. But on the inside I’m seething, fighting back the desire to turn around and rip those two pieces of shit to pieces.
I pull into the underground parking, cutting the engine and dashing out of the car to help Quinn. My heart pounds and aches at the same time for her. I know now why she’d been so secretive, why she worried so much about her sister. How could they? How could they hurt either of these girls? I swallow down the huge lump in my throat as I open the door and try and clear my mind of the raging thoughts in my head.
“Hey,” I say with the biggest smile I can muster. Quinn smiles back a little like she’s trying too hard to tell me she’s okay. Like the pretense is just too much. “You okay?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
“I’m good,” she says stepping out of the car, falling into my arms. “I couldn’t have done that without you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” she mumbles, clutching onto me like her life depends on it.
“I just wish I could have done more,” I stroke the side of her head. She pulls back, looking up at me with wide eyes.
“More?” she gulps, “What else could you have possibly done?”
“I should have made him pay. Done more to stop him from hurting you.”
She shakes her head vehemently. But something tells me now isn’t the right time. Behind Quinn, a sparkle of something catches my attention. I can’t help but to look past her at the ice blue eyes staring up at me. Right now, I need to let this little girl know everything is okay.
“So Olivia,” I call out enthusiastically, “You ready to see your new room?” I ask, releasing my hold on Quinn and kneeling down at the side of the car. “I can’t promise it will be your color, but we can work on getting it just right for you.”
“I don’t care what my room looks like,” she says with her lips downturned and hands clenched in front of her. I sense her nerves and can only imagine how this little girl feels right now. Her eyes shift from side to side and I notice how they have become glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As she flutters her lashes, blinking lightly, tears drip from her eyelids and slid down her cheeks. She bites her lip tightly in an attempt to hide any sound that wants to escape from her mouth; my heart sinks. It’s painful to see her like this. I watch as she blinks back tears, taking in deep, steady breaths.
“Come on,” I offer my hand to her. “Let me show you.” She pauses, staring at me, the uncertainty is clear to see on her face. “How about a piggy back ride?” I offer, swiveling on the spot until my back is positioned at the end of the seat. I look up at Quinn who nervously plays with her bottom lip. I feel the gentle touch of a hand on my shoulder as I reach up and cover it with mine.
“I got ya, Livvy,” I say, holding onto her tightly as I slowly step up from my crouched position. Her muffled tears turn into excited squeals as I swirl and jump like some kind of crazy guy, all in an attempt to distract her.
“Don’t let me go,” she stutters through her laughter.
“I won’t, I promise,” I say with a huff of laughter.
“You know, Josh,” She pauses.
“What?”
“I can see why my sister likes you.”
“Understandable, right? Good looking, charming, funny, what’s not to like?”
Her laughter echoes through the underground parking lot. “Well, I’m not sure about all that. But you are very kind,” she leans her head forward, peering at me over my shoulder. Glancing to the side, I see her looking at me. I cock a brow and give her a sideways smile.
“I try, Olivia. But you know what?”
“What?”
“I do all this because of the way your sister makes me feel. But shhh… don’t tell her that, okay? It’s just our little secret,” I tilt my head giving her a little wink and her mouth opens, forming an O shape. Her eyes fixed on me, a blank expression on her face.
“I don’t get it,” she whispers with a little shake of her head. “Is it the love word? Are you scared to say it?”
“Me? Scared? Never,” I brush her off. “You wanna press the button for the elevator?” I ask, lowering her down to the floor.
“Hey, you two. Did you forget about me?” Quinn asks with her eyes wide as she jogs toward us.
“We were just talking about you,” Olivia says with a pout.
“We were not,” I quickly step in, giving Olivia a mock pout.
“You were… you were just saying about how you’re scared to say the love word.” Olivia signals for Quinn to come closer. She steps in front of her, bending down a little as Olivia covers her mouth as she tries to whisper, but fails miserably.
“I think Josh loves you!” she exclaims, the excitement ringing through her tone. Quinn’s eyes flit to me then back to Olivia.
“I think he does too,” she says pushing her tongue against her cheek. “Feeling’s mutual. Just don’t tell him, okay?”
“Okay,” she says with a nod, skipping forward and pressing the button for the elevator. I hold my hand out to the side and Quinn takes my hand in hers. I pull her closer to me as we stand waiting for the elevator to arrive.
“Are you sure about this?” she asks, her voice gruff with emotion. “It’s one thing putting me up, but now my sister too. I feel like this is too much.” She sighs heavily. “I’m not sure how long it will be until I have enough for my own place, Josh. We might be here for weeks. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
I press my index finger against her lips, turning her until we are face to face. “Quinn,” I breathe, “I’m in love with you. When will you realize I’m not doing this out of pity, but out of love? I want you with me, and if that means having your super cute, super intelligent sister here too, then fine. I’m good with that. More than good,” I all but screech.
She slowly raises her hand, weaving her fingers through my hair. “Meeting you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. With everything that was revealed about me today, when you found out why I’m so messed up in here,” she points to the side of her head, “I was sure you’d run for the hills.”
“Never,” I gasp, “No running. Not even if I wanted to, baby.”
Olivia clears her throat. I glance over at her, stood inside the elevator, waiting for us. “Come on, you two!” she says excitedly, breaking us from our embrace. Linking hands, we walk inside the elevator, making our way to the top floor.