It felt so wonderful to have her memory back and return to normal.
The day after police arrested Aston Reston for Tia’s murder, Quinn felt as if she could finally move forward. West had returned to work, heading to the training center with Rex, but promised to meet her later. Humming, Quinn arranged baked goods in the glass case when the little silver bell tinkled over the door.
Quinn blinked in surprise. Gemma strolled inside. Her cousin Gemma Colton, from the right side of the tracks. Wealthy, spoiled and with a designer wardrobe any woman would envy.
Those things no longer mattered as much to Quinn.
With her chestnut hair and dark eyes, Gemma was a beauty. Today she wore a sleeveless turquoise blouse and designer jeans and turquoise heels. She looked around the store with interest.
“Hi, Gemma.” Quinn wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Anything I can help you with?”
“I stopped by to see how you were doing. Everyone is talking about you and West.”
So much for a secret relationship. Quinn didn’t care. West was back on his feet, fully recovered, and Tia’s murderer behind bars. She had her memory back. Life was good.
“Thanks. I’m doing well.” Quinn motioned to the tables outside. “Would you like a kale smoothie on the house?”
Gemma’s perfect nose wrinkled. “How about strawberry instead?”
Soon they were seated outside, the sun beaming down on them, a nearly cloudless sky overhead. Pedestrians strolling past nodded and smiled. Gemma must be right. Everyone kept talking and looking at her, but not in an accusing way.
More like respect. And curiosity.
“Your West is so brave. Putting himself in danger to save you.” Gemma heaved a dramatic sigh. “You’re lucky to have a man love you that way, Quinn.”
Odd hearing that from Gemma, who always seemed to have everything in life. “He’s a good man.”
“It’s amazing that you ended up like this. I mean, look at your father. He isn’t an upstanding member of society. You have no lineage in town. So how did you get West to fall in love with you?”
Once, Gemma’s words would have cut deep. Made her feel like that little girl who’d never been invited to the rich Colton parties. But those times were past. And the look on Gemma’s face—pure desperation—tugged at Quinn’s heart.
Maybe Gemma had no filter, but she wasn’t cruel on purpose.
Gemma hadn’t come here to check on her or make friends. Gemma needed some kind of assurance. “What’s wrong?” Quinn asked gently.
Her cousin stared at her drink. “How can I get Devlin to fall in love with me the way West loves you?”
More surprises. “You’ve been dating awhile. It seems serious.”
“Oh yes, he seems serious. About seeing me, and being with me. But I get the feeling he doesn’t love me. Not like West feels about you.” Gemma toyed with her straw. “Would Devlin risk himself to save my life the way West did with you?”
Sympathy filled her. “West is a trained agent, hon. Give it a chance with Devlin.”
Gemma sighed. “You’re so lucky, Quinn. I wish I could get Devlin to love me. Will it ever happen?”
Quinn sipped her kale drink. “Gemma, love isn’t something you force. You let it happen, nurture it. You can’t make yourself into someone different just to get the other person to love you. It’s chemistry and conversation and a whole lot of forgiveness and compromise.”
“Maybe.” Her cousin looked thoughtful. “I can try harder.”
It would happen or it would not. Gemma had to discover that on her own, just as Quinn had. Talk switched to the new recipes Quinn tested when West’s pickup pulled up front.
Rex wasn’t with him. Quinn’s heart skipped a beat. Was everything okay?
Rising to her feet, Gemma gave her a hug. “Thanks.” She glanced at West. “Thank you for saving her.”
West nodded, but he seemed distracted. As Gemma walked away, West jingled his keys.
Something was up. “What’s wrong? I thought you were at the training center today. Is everything all right with Rex?”
“He’s fine. I left him there to work with one of the other trainers while I checked something out. Come on. We need to have a little chat with your business partner. Where is he?”
They went into the store and into the kitchen, where Austin chopped vegetables at a cutting board.
“About time you stopped socializing and returned to work. I need help.” Austin pointed to a pile of carrots. “Start prepping those and I’ll make the sauce.”
Another odd thing, much odder than Gemma paying her a visit. When had Austin grown so bossy?
West gently gripped her arm. “No, Quinn.”
His gaze turned icy hard. “Austin, did you deliver a food order to a resort in the canyon near Pine Paradise?”
Quinn’s heart skipped a beat as her business partner’s face flushed. “Why? I’ve been trying to get us business, I’ve been—”
“You’ve been trying to get Quinn in trouble,” West cut in.
“That’s not true!” Austin’s wild gaze whipped to Quinn. “Why would I do that?”
“Only one person could have taken Demi’s jacket from Quinn’s closet. One person who had access, besides myself and Quinn. We analyzed the wrapper found at cabin seven. Tests showed it contained traces of aspartame, the ingredient found in sugar-free gum.” West’s hardened gaze centered on Austin. “The key to cabin number seven has been missing awhile. Where did you put it, Austin? Before I bring you into the station for fingerprinting, anything you care to confess, Austin? Besides the fact you like to make origami and steal women’s clothing?”
Quinn’s heart skipped a beat. Dread filled her. Surely West couldn’t be accusing Austin. Mild Austin, who held Good Eats together while she recovered?
Her business partner paled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you do.” West got into his face. “If you tell the truth now, it’ll go easier on you. Do you really want to hurt Quinn any more?”
Austin glanced at Quinn with a plea in his eyes. Her heart did a triple flip. “West, what are you talking about? He didn’t do anything.”
“He paid your rent. I saw Larson, wanted to give him the back rent check you gave me, and the bastard told me Austin paid for it.”
She could barely breathe. Helping her by taking over the business while she recovered was one thing. But paying the rent? Pride aside, it hinted to Noel Larson that Quinn had no money. It made her more vulnerable and she hated looking weak, especially to a slime like Larson.
“I told you I never wanted that, Austin. Why did you ignore my wishes?” she asked him. Her voice rose a notch, and she fought to keep it even. “I told you I had my savings.”
Austin’s mouth opened and closed. He backed up until he hit the stainless steel refrigerator, and then splayed his palms against it.
“The rent was overdue...”
“I had the money! All I needed to do was get the check to him. I was in the hospital.”
West slowly walked toward Austin. “Spill it. Tell her, Austin. The truth. You were at cabin number seven. You took Demi’s jacket and left it there.”
Visceral pain sliced through her. She didn’t want to believe it, but West wouldn’t lie about this.
“Prove it.” Austin pushed his glasses up his nose. “You have the security cameras. Show me on tape where I sneaked into Quinn’s apartment and took the jacket.”
West grabbed Austin’s arm, tugged him toward the closet where she stored papers and cans. Inside the closet, West pushed at the back wall.
Her mouth opened and closed in astonishment as a door swung open...to reveal a set of stairs marching upward.
West pointed to the hidden stairs. “I got to thinking about this place. Did a little research on the building and pulled the old blueprints. This set of stairs was originally intended to be used as the main access to the floor upstairs, which was a storage area. Then the owner had these stairs sealed off when the apartment became a separate residence. They lead straight to your bedroom closet.”
Quinn fisted her hands. Now it made sense, the strange sounds she’d heard that one day when she napped...the cough and the feeling she’d been watched.
“You spied on me,” she said.
“No! I only used the stairs to get Demi’s jacket. I didn’t realize you were there, Quinn.” Austin reddened as he realized what he’d spilled.
“I thought the recording of the anonymous tipster sounded familiar. I just couldn’t pinpoint how you did it. Tell her. Quinn deserves the truth,” West snapped.
Her partner, her best friend, hung his head. “I found the stairs two months ago when I rummaged through the closet for last year’s invoices to see if I could drum up more business from former corporate clients. You never go in there, you just shove the boxes inside, Quinn. I was going to tell you...”
“But you didn’t,” she said slowly.
“I didn’t do it to hurt you.” Austin finally looked at her. “Yeah, I planted the jacket and everything and called it in to the police. Hell, if Devin wanted to offer that much, why not take it? It would save the business. Six figures goes a long way in paying food bills.”
Devlin Harrington’s reward for the capture of Demi Colton. Money, it was always about money. She’d thought Austin was different, like West. Neither cared much about being rich.
Turned out she’d been wrong, just as she’d been so wrong about FBI agent West Brand. West Brand, who had been there for her through everything.
“You would frame my sister, my only sister, for money?” she asked Austin.
“Everyone knows she’s guilty. You cared more about her than us, than our business! And she never gave a damn about you!” Now Austin shouted, her mild, cheerful partner who never raised his voice. How shrill he was, the anger leeching through his cutting words.
“She’s family,” Quinn whispered. “I care about her, and I cared about you, Austin.”
“Oh right. You were letting everything go, Quinn. After you got all starry-eyed about him.” Austin pointed to West. “I was the only one saving us. All of this, it’s here because of me because I found new accounts that brought in money. The business should belong solely to me. You would have left me anyway, moving out with Big Shot FBI Man here, and I didn’t have the cash to buy you out.”
Quinn hugged herself, feeling herself come apart. Everything fell apart, burning slowly to ashes before her eyes. “Get out of my sight.”
West beckoned to the patrol officer coming through the front door. She couldn’t bear it. Quinn wanted to shut out the drone of the cop reading Austin his rights, her former best friend pleading that he hadn’t meant to hurt anyone...
The officer led Austin away toward the patrol car. Quinn watched them leave, her chest hollow.
Brayden lingered, shuffling his feet. Finally he looked at them. “Reston’s dead.”
Her throat closed up. Reston was the link between finding evidence of the Larson brothers and Tia’s death. Tia deserved justice.
“Killed himself with a homemade shank.” Brayden rolled his shoulders. “The feds were about to get a confession out of him, since the DA offered him a sweetheart deal.”
“Was it really suicide?” West asked.
“They’re ruling it suicide.” Sympathy filled Brayden’s gaze as he looked at her. “I’m glad you’re back, Quinn.”
When everyone else left, West stayed at her side. “Are you okay, Quinn?” he asked quietly.
“Not really.” Emotion clogged her throat. “What will happen to him?”
“He’ll be questioned and charged with obstruction of justice. If he’s a first-time offender, judge will go easy on him.”
“He was my bestie,” she whispered. “Why would he do such a thing? Austin loved Good Eats, he’s always been there for me, and I never let him down. Why?”
A warm palm cupped her cheek. West lifted her face to regard his solemn expression. “Because people do things out of desperation, honey. Austin knew if your business closed shop, he’d be out of a job and the investment he put into the business.”
“The business was floundering, but not that bad,” she protested.
West stroked a thumb over her cold cheek. “Probably didn’t matter to him. With the reward money, he could buy you out and control everything.”
“Being in charge while I was recovering went to his head. He was the sales force behind Good Eats, and I was the cook. It worked out well. I never imagined he resented it.” Quinn pressed two fingers to her temple. Could she trust anyone anymore?
Her only sister, on the run, suspected of killing men. Her best friend, framing her sister and wanting to snatch Good Eats from her. West was the only one at her side who stood by her. She’d told Gemma that love wasn’t something you forced.
But love also meant being honest.
He kept touching her, gentling her with his reassuring touch. “Quinn, is it too late to repair what we had? I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She clasped his hand and pulled it away from her face. No more distractions. “I love you as well, but I have to know I can trust you. No more secrets.”
“I’m sorry I had to investigate you, and put you under suspicion for hiding information about your sister. I had a job to do,” he said.
“Then tell me what happened to your family. Everything, West.”
* * *
This was going to be tough. Even now, as they walked upstairs to Quinn’s apartment, he could feel his chest constrict. Memory was a funny thing. Sometimes it fled when you needed most to remember.
Other times, when you tried desperately to forget, it danced in your mind.
They went upstairs to her apartment. West sat on the sofa, legs splayed, hands braced on his knees. He stared at the opposite wall. Couldn’t look at Quinn. Hell, he hadn’t talked about this in years.
Maybe it was best to start at the beginning. He took a deep breath.
“My father was a cop, one of the best on the force in the small town where I grew up in New York. Upstate, near Syracuse. His father was a cop, as well. Dad loved his job, but he came into contact with some real slime. He was on a case involving a suspect in a bombing. Alan Beam blew up a bank in a robbery, killed a security guard. Dad was the detective who made the case, arrested Alan. But the judge let Alan go free on remand—bail—because the state attorney didn’t have enough evidence.
“I was dating Gina Fontanilli, the hottest girl in school. We were ready to take our relationship to the next level.” He couldn’t help a small smile at the memory—a good one. “My mother didn’t want me going out, because she was worried about Beam being on the loose, and Dad ordered me to stay home. I sneaked out.”
“Young love,” Quinn said softly. “Any teenager would have done the same.”
“I took Gina to the movies, and then to lovers’ point... You can guess the rest.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “Got a call on my cell phone, which I ignored because Gina... Well, I was preoccupied. And then I checked messages. My dad’s partner told me to get my ass home ASAP. Something bad happened to my family.”
“Oh, West,” Quinn murmured.
He didn’t answer her, couldn’t, because if he stopped talking, he might never tell the story. “I came home to fire engines, flashing lights, and the house was on fire. Half of it was gone, just gone.” West drew in a deep breath, struggling with the ache in his chest. “My parents and my two sisters were dead. I’m the only survivor.”
She slid over to grip his hand. Her hand was soft, warm and reassuring. “The burns on your hand?”
“I ran to the house. The fire had spread to the front. Grabbed the doorknob to go inside, try to save them. Screaming, I remember I kept screaming. After I thought the hoarse throat was smoke inhalation. Cops told me I wouldn’t stop screaming.”
Moisture brightened her eyes as he glanced at her. “How did you survive the fire?”
West lifted his shoulders. “Firefighter pulled me out. Then they loaded me into an ambulance, treated me for the burn. But I didn’t want plastic surgery. The scars fed my new purpose.”
And then she looked at West, really looked at him. “Your father sounds like a wonderful man. I wish I would have known him.”
“Dad gave me love and taught me duty, honor and to work hard. Every day I try to make my father proud. Every damn day I’m with Rex, training with him, on a case trying to find the bad guys, I try to emulate my father. He gave it his all, and that’s what I try to do, as well.”
Suddenly he realized the familiar, stabbing grief he’d always felt had turned into a distant ache. No longer did he feel the compulsion to dedicate all his life to the job. Life was more than work.
He had Quinn. Moved on.
“You’re a good man, West Brand. Your father would be proud of you,” Quinn said softly. “All this time, you’ve held that inside, not wanting to get close to anyone because you didn’t want to lose them.”
West nodded. Damn perceptive of Quinn. He thought about a quote he’d read once in high school, one that stuck with him at his family’s funeral.
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not. And often times, we call a man cold when he is only sad.” West recited the quote from Longfellow.
Once he’d thought himself that man. Viewed by other K-9 officers as distant and even cold, when all this time he held secrets in his heart—a past where a killer had destroyed his entire family.
No longer. He had reconciled his past and found a new beginning.
“West, would your father want you to be happy?”
He thought about his father, could almost see him giving the thumbs-up. Go for it.
“Yeah. Dad would want me to settle down, marry.” The tightness in his chest eased a little. There would always be an empty spot in his heart and he’d always miss his family, but he was ready to live again. “Have a family and take risks. Life is about risks.”
West got down on one knee, kissed her hand. “Quinn Colton, I ask you again, will you marry me?”
Eyes bright with tears, she nodded. “Yes.”
“I can’t promise I’ll tell you everything, Quinn. It won’t be easy.”
“As long as there are no big secrets between us.”
He rose and pulled her up against him. “We’ll have to keep our engagement a secret. There’s still a groom killer running loose.”
“I don’t mind secrets, as long as I’m in on it.”
“I’ll tell you another one. I’m leaving the Bureau.” Gaze steady, he regarded her. “I talked to Finn about a permanent job here in Red Ridge.”
Her breath hitched. “Oh, West. Really? I thought the FBI was your life.”
“I like Red Ridge. Seems like a nice place to settle down.” He grinned. “Quiet, kind of dull...”
Quinn laughed.
“The Bureau was my life.” He caught her hand, kissed the knuckles. “But it’s about damn time I paid attention to my heart—you.”
She rubbed his hand against her cheek. “I want children.”
“Two kids.” He held up two fingers. “No more.”
She laughed. “Since I’ll be the one having the babies, I agree.”
“Well, maybe three. Only if the first two are boys. I want a girl.” He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “A little girl with freckles and curls, who looks like my darling Quinn.”
With the Groom Killer still roaming free, West knew they still couldn’t share news of their engagement. It didn’t matter. Eventually he would stand at the altar, watching his woman walk toward him during their wedding. Worth the wait.
Agent West Brand kissed Quinn, the only woman he wanted to love for the rest of his life. The bad memories of his past had eased with what waited in store—Quinn Colton eventually becoming his wife.
He had gone from a tragic past he’d wanted desperately to forget.
Toward a bright future he would always want to remember.
* * * * *
Read on for an extract from Reunion Under Fire by Geri Krotow.