Colt

 

“What the…?”

My attention shifts from watching Quinn drive off in my truck to Channing standing a few feet away, his backpack slung over his shoulder. His expression’s dumbfounded as he stares at Quinn’s car.

“I sent Quinn to the salon in my truck. I was just about to call Bryce,” I tell him.

Channing’s still gazing at the bloody mess. “What is it?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” He looks at me, frowning. “How’s Quinn?”

“She’s angry.”

He nods and pulls out his phone, texting something before repocketing it. “I have class to get to.” His eyes hold mine. “Careful with Gabe.”

I nod and watch as he climbs into his car and drives off. Then, I pull out my phone and call Bryce, hoping that he’s not already at the department.

Bryce picks up on the third ring. “Colt,” he greets without preamble.

“Quinn’s car was vandalized again.”

“Was this time different?”

“Yes. You’re going to want to get photos.”

Bryce is silent a moment. “I’m on my way.”

I end the call and slip the phone back in my pocket. When I hear movement behind me, I turn and find a freshly showered Gabe standing there, his hair damp, and his shirt sticking to his chest in places. His eyes are focused on Quinn’s car with a look of dread. Channing must’ve text messaged him to come outside.

He drags his eyes to me, and our confrontation from yesterday is temporarily forgotten. “Where’s Quinn?”

“She has a client at nine, so I told her to take my truck. I didn’t want her around this mess.”

He nods in agreement, looking troubled. “This is more than slashed tires.”

“It’s a threat.”

“He wants to hurt her,” he states in a grim tone.

“Yeah, I think that’s where this is headed.” I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. I’m typically in complete control of every aspect of my life, but I can’t control this.

“Shit.” Gabe drags a hand through his damp hair, his eyes sliding back to the bloody mess. “You call Bryce?”

“He’s on his way,” I confirm.

“How’s Quinn?”

“Disgusted, angry. I stopped her from trying to spray the car down with the hose so she could go to work.”

“Christ. She’s always been damned stubborn.”

I silently agree. Quinn’s tough as nails, and I’ve always admired her spirit. She doesn’t react to things like most women, and it’s always been refreshing.

Until now.

I’d rather her be scared and content to hide out until this is sorted. But that’s not Quinn. Her first instinct today was to clean off her car and go on with her day. As much as this bastard wants to break her, it’s not going to happen. And that is going to piss him off further.

A heavy silence descends upon us until Bryce pulls up and climbs out of his car. I watch as he slowly walks around Quinn’s car with a camera, taking photos. Gabe and I patiently wait until he’s finished.

Bryce walks over, pocketing the camera. “Where’s Quinn?”

“She’s at the salon, there was no stopping her, not when she had a client waiting on her. I told her you’re going to want to talk to her,” I inform him.

He nods. “I don’t want to disrupt her day further, so I’ll leave a voicemail to contact me. No one heard anything last night?”

I shake my head, and so does Gabe.

“Was she out last night?”

“No, but she went out the other night, got her nails done. Harper tagged along,” Gabe tells him.

Bryce nods. “He escalates when she goes out. He doesn’t like that she’s ignoring him, that she’s not scared.”

I sigh. “She’s always been willful and independent. That’s never going to change.”

“It would be wise to invest in a motion sensor camera out here.”

“We should have done that the first time around,” Gabe says.

“Anything pan out with the search?” I ask, already knowing that if anything had, he would have told me. At this point, I’ll take any information he can give me, no matter how minor.

Bryce shakes his head. “Nothing yet.”

“How close do you think he is to making a move? A physical one against Quinn?” I ask.

Bryce’s eyes slide back to her car, scanning it. “My guess would be close.”

A heavy silence descends upon all of us.

“I’ll see about increased patrols in the neighborhood. I’d also advise you to keep her close and inside the safety of the house.”

Gabe and I exchange a look. Quinn’s not going to go for that.

“Done,” I say. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

“I have to get to work. Keep me updated.”

After Bryce leaves, I’m aware of Gabe still standing there. When he says nothing, I walk across the yard to retrieve the hose that I’d discarded earlier. It’s still running, and I cross the yard to the driveway. I’m more worried about Quinn.

I begin spraying off the car, knowing that when I’m finished, I’ll have to pick up bits and pieces of the poor animal off the driveway. I’m conscious of Gabe still standing near the house, silently watching. Apparently, he’s not going inside until he’s had his say. I set down the hose and walk over to him, my expression set as I stand there, waiting. I’m not in the mood for this shit, and I’m late for work.

Gabe looks at me with cool eyes. “You’re going to hurt her.”

My entire body stiffens.

He sighs and rubs the back of his neck, quickly adding, “I’m referring to emotionally.”

“Not a chance,” I say in a firm tone. I will never hurt Quinn, at least not intentionally. And if I ever do hurt her feelings, hopefully I can fix it.

“Colt, you stood back and let her deal with the heat yesterday.”

It fucking burns that he has every right to be angry about that. Every time I think about it, it pisses me off that my self-doubt took over. My eyes narrow on him. I don’t blame him for calling me out, but at the same time, he has no say in the matter.

Gabe looks at me accusingly. “You couldn’t defend what you two were up to, and that tells me you’re not as into her as she is with you.”

I step closer, allowing a hint of warning to trickle into my gaze. “I don’t answer to anyone, brother or not.”

If I hadn’t gone to Jude last night, this entire conversation would likely be going down differently. As aggravated as I was over our talk, it had stuck with me and had kept me up most of the night. Something’s shifting inside me, and the second I’d laid eyes on Quinn this morning in the kitchen, I’d known what my next move would be. We’re in too deep now, and I’m ready to acknowledge and deal with it. I’m far from perfect, but Quinn doesn’t expect me to be.

Gabe hasn’t replied to my warning, but I can see a retort slowly building.

“What the fuck?”

We both turn to find that Sebastian had come out of the house, ready to leave for work—but instead, he’s staring at the red blood all over the driveway beneath Quinn’s car.

“Bryce has already been here and gone,” Gabe tells him before he goes back inside the house.