Chapter Thirty-Four

Eli

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Strauss." The salt and pepper haired police detective who introduced himself earlier as Adam Taylor offers me his hand after escorting me to the exit of the precinct.

I shake it.

"And don't worry. Arnold Drake won't be getting out of jail this time. Also, I do believe my friends at the Bureau will be investigating William Fuller and Isaac Banks."

I nod. "I look forward to that. If there's anything I can do to help, you can call my assistant."

"I will. Thank you."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Detective, it's been a long day."

"Of course. Take care."

I head to my car. Inside, Janice is waiting.

I sigh as I sit back. "I can't believe that 'talk' dragged on for hours."

"Well, it was a mess," Janice says. "Bodies and blood everywhere. And you were responsible for a lot of them."

"If I hadn't shot them, they would have shot me. Or you and the kids. You know that."

Janice raises her hand. "I'm grateful, sir. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying the questions were necessary."

I know that. "I'm just glad it's over."

I still can't believe I was put through an attempted home invasion by a bunch of gangsters. Or that it turned into a shootout. There were a few moments there when I was afraid the kids would end up getting shot. Thank goodness it didn't come to that.

Janice clears her throat. "There is someone else you need to talk to though, isn't there?"

She's right. I haven't had the chance to talk to Quinn since the police arrived and swept me away. And the last time I saw her, she looked pale as a ghost, her clothes dirty, her jaw and cheek bruised and her fingers covered in cuts. She looked like she'd been dragged through hell.

I hope she's alright.

"Take me to the hospital."

~

I find Quinn in the hospital cafeteria drinking coffee in a shirt and overalls. She grips the mug with bandaged fingers. There's a bandage around her wrist as well. The left side of her face still looks swollen, but at least it has some other color besides purple, and when she sees me, her lips curve into a smile.

It seems an eternity since I last saw her smile.

As I sit across from her, I try not to remember how she looked when Drake was holding her hostage. "Are you alright?"

Quinn touches her cheek. "Half my face still hurts and there are still things I can't hold properly." She looks at her hand. "But hey, I'm still in better shape than Steven, so I'm not complaining."

"I heard from Detective Taylor that your brother and mother were found on Banks's farm."

"Yeah. Steven's badly beaten up. Again." Quinn sighs. "I can't believe it happened to him twice in a month. This time he even needs stitches. But he'll recover. Ellen and his kids are with him right now and they're going to take care of him."

"And your mother?"

"She has a few bruises." She looks down at her mug. "But the damage to her is more psychological than physical, so I'm sure she'll heal. She's strong. All of us mothers are."

"I know."

I still remember how she tried to take that gun from Drake. She might have failed, but she tried.

"Chase and the kids are with her right now. And Beth."

I throw her a questioning glance. "Are the kids okay?"

"Yeah. They didn't really understand what was happening, or see a lot, which is good. A psychologist talked to them just the same. She says they'll be fine. I know they will be. Kids are resilient, especially those two. They're fighters."

"I know." I couldn't agree more. I lean forward. "I have to say I still don't understand much of what happened either."

Quinn sighs. "I guess I owe you an explanation."

I give her a moment to organize it.

"Drake appeared," she starts. "And he said Chase owed him money. He said if I didn't give him a million dollars, he would kill my mother and my brother."

I raise my palms. "You could have told me, Quinn."

"And I wanted to, Eli. But he said not to get you involved."

"Well, I did end up getting involved."

"Yeah. I guess that was inevitable, since he was working with Banks. But I didn't know that." She looks down. "I'm sorry."

I reach for one of her bandaged hands. "You didn't do anything wrong, Quinn. Your family was in danger and you were trying to save them."

"But I ended up putting you and the kids in danger. And you're my family, too."

I shake my head. "That's not your fault. Banks sent them after me."

Quinn says nothing.

I stroke her hand. "So how did you find out they were at the house?"

She tells me. She tells me everything that's happened and I just listen. When she's done, I say nothing. My emotions are swirling, overlapping - anger at the men who hurt her, admiration for her successful escape, frustration at not being able to protect her, relief that she's fine, and a desire to make sure none of this ever happens again.

A flurry of emotions, but I know they all go by one name.

I pull her into my arms. If there's anything I've realized because of this ordeal, it's that I can't bear to lose her. If there's anything I've learned, it's that you have to hold on to the things you don't want to lose.

"Eli?"

"I thought I'd lost you." I hold her tight. "Again."

Her hand strokes my back. "Me too."

I pull away and touch her cheek as I look into her amber eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't by your side the whole time. I should have gone after you."

Quinn shakes her head. "They would have killed you. I'm glad you didn't come after me, that you listened to me for once."

I grin.

She places her hand over mine. "You're here now and that's what matters."

I kiss her bandaged hand reverently, then meet her gaze again.

"Did you understand what I was trying to say that time when Drake was holding you at gunpoint?"

"You mean before you kicked the gun over?" She nods. "I understood."

I smile.

"But just in case I misunderstood, say it again?"

I stroke her cheek. "I love you, Quinn. I have for some time now."

"I know." She strokes my wrist. "I didn't mean all those things I said back there."

"I guess we should start over, huh?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

I lean over to kiss her but stop as I hear a cough. I turn my head to see Chase standing a few feet away.

Quinn's brother.

They look alike, even more so than Quinn and Steven.

"Sorry for interrupting," he says. "But would you mind if I spoke to my sister for a bit?"