Quiet Ones (Hellbent Book 3), page 40
“Screw you.”
Oooh, big words.
Ripping open her bag, I find the keys and draw them out. I stuff them in her hand. “Don’t go to Weston.”
“I’ll go where I want.”
To my surprise, though, she doesn’t demand to stay and climbs in her car. Without another glance in my direction, she drives out of the lot and back on to the road, disappearing around the trees. She may go to Weston, purposely provoking me to follow, but… She better head to Madoc’s. She knows better than to risk her safety to prove a point.
Plus, I’d have to leave her alone at her brother’s house. Which she appears to want. For now.
Hugo and his guys appear in the lot, eyes zoning in on me, and I move my ass, leading them away from everyone I care about. Jumping into Jared’s old Mustang, I race out of the lot, seeing them hurry for their car, as well.
I think I catch sight of Madoc in my rearview mirror, noticing me leave, but I’m gone before I can look twice.
Pedal to the metal, I fly down the road, rushing onto the highway. Cutting a left, I head for Weston and keep an eye behind me, making sure they follow.
But Hugo barrels through the Stop sign and pivots right instead. The same way Quinn drove.
I release the gas. Shit.
Jerking the wheel, I swing around, probably leaving a hundred dollars’ worth of tire on the asphalt. Kicking the stick shift up a notch, I chase Green Street back into the Falls, riding their ass to make sure I don’t lose them.
My phone sits in the holder, hooked up to the charger. I dial Quinn.
I arch my neck, trying to see around Hugo’s ride and catch her taillights. “Come on, pick up,” I beg under my breath.
The call goes to voicemail, and I hang up. Quickly tapping, I send her a text.
Go back to the Loop.
No one calls it that anymore, but Loop was shorter to type than Fallstown.
This time of night, I’m not sure what businesses are still open, and I know Madoc is having people over after the races, so there will be staff at his place, but I don’t want to risk her going there. All the estates in that neighborhood are partially secluded.
And fuck me if she tries to go to Weston. That’s not my turf anymore, and Farrow isn’t there to back me up right now.
Farrow…
Reaching over, I dial him.
Headlights shine in my rearview. I squint, shielding my eyes, but before I can dim my mirror, Hugo’s car suddenly halts in front of me.
“Fuck!” I press my brakes and swerve, but not fast enough. I slice the bumper of Hugo’s car with Jared’s, careen over the side of the road as Hugo’s vehicle rolls, tumbling after me. I spot another car ahead of him, but it’s not Quinn. A Traverse?
My head hits the roof as the Mustang bounces over bumps into the brush, over rocks and protruding tree roots. Something hits my shoulder, a searing pain penetrating down to my bone.
The car rocks right, then settles left, and I finally exhale as the world falls still. “Son of a bitch.”
I’m right side up. I didn’t roll, but I look around me, finding Hugo’s car. It rests upside down, at least one figure inside scrambling to get out.
What the hell happened?
Unwrapping my fingers from the wheel, I grab my phone and open the door, climbing out. Walking over, I lean down to check Axel’s pulse, but in a moment, I’m being slammed to the ground instead. My phone flies out of my hand as a weight lands on my back, crushing me into the wet earth.
Hugo still hangs upside down inside of his car, inches from me, his hooded eyes finally noticing me as he fumbles with the seatbelt.
All three guys are still in the car, in fact.
Chills rise on the back of my neck. Who’s behind me?
“You been working out,” a familiar voice pants in my ear.
I freeze, Drew Reeves pressing his forearms across my shoulder blades and pinning me to the dirt.
He was in the car ahead of Hugo that stopped him short and drove us off the road.
“I’m bigger, too,” he taunts.
I heave myself off the ground, scrambling for my phone and checking to make sure Quinn isn’t here. Hopefully, she’s long gone.
Drew grips the back of my neck, shoving me into last year’s fallen leaves. He grinds my head into the open window frame of Hugo’s car, my eyes locked on the current leader of Green Street as he tries to reach his gun lodged between the dashboard and the windshield.
“Kill him,” Drew whispers to me.
Hugo breathes hard. “Piece of shit…”
“Kill him,” my old friend begs me, that smooth edge in his voice still so in control. “Who will stop him if I send you to jail? Who will protect Shelburne Falls if you go back to Dubai?”
Hugo pulls at the seatbelt, growling at how utterly helpless he is. “Axel!” he bellows, trying to wake up his guy. “Nick!”
A moan comes from the back seat.
“He knows about her,” Drew eggs me on. “I know about her.”
I growl, trying to push myself up despite the weight on my back.
Hugo’s seatbelt releases, and he drops to the roof.
“Who will stop him from hurting her if he kills you?” Drew goes on.
No one’s going to kill me.
Hugo swipes up his pistol, and I scurry.
“Kill him and end it,” Drew breathes in my ear.
His weight comes off me, Hugo points the gun, and I yank his ankles, dragging him out of the car. I twist my neck around, ready for Drew.
But Hugo’s firing.
He pulls the trigger, and my heart damn near stops.
There’s no shot.
He scrambles to switch off the safety, but I fall on him, shoving his hands above his head as I try to pry the weapon from his grasp.
Where the fuck is Drew? The back of my scalp turns hot, already anticipating his bullet.
Hugo twists to the side, kneeing me in the ribs. Pain shoots through my body as I hear the crack.
I flinch. Fuck.
I slam his goddamn hands down on the ground, pounding once, twice, and then three times until a cry escapes him and the gun drops away.
Giving him no time to recover, I rear my fist back and hit him so hard his teeth cut my hand.
And I keep swinging.
I can die. I can be arrested and incarcerated for the rest of my life, but as long as they’re here, she isn’t safe. This will never end.
I have to do it.
“Axel!” he cries for his crew. “Nicholas!”
I grip the hair on top of his head, hitting him again and again until my arm is on fire with exhaustion.
This will never end. Even if I can get them sent away for twenty years, it’s not over forever. They’re just leaving others in charge.
I didn’t kill David Miller.
And I don’t want any of this.
But they’re going to hurt people, and I’m doing what I have to do.
Hands bloodied, I grab his neck and squeeze.
I dig my fingers in, flex every muscle in my arms, and cut off every sputter and every gasp coming out of him.
His face contorts, his skin grays, and I’m kneeling over him, looking down into the dead eyes of another man who’s here simply because of choices I made years ago.
My chest caves, agony filling my head as I unclench my fingers.
One is a mistake. Two leaves no doubt on whether or not I’m a murderer.
I draw in a breath and nausea climbs my throat until…he sucks in a lungful of air and coughs, alive.
I choke down the lump in my throat and crawl off him, backing away.
I stare at the blood on my hands, none of it mine. Shame covers my skin, the line I almost crossed making my body shake because it’s still there. The line right in front of me as if I can still stumble over it before I have a chance to stop myself.
Drew is gone. Hugo gasps and rolls over, the gun forgotten. Axel and Nicholas crawl out of the car.
I dial 911, not because I’m worried anyone is hurt, but because Hugo is too stupid to count his losses. “There’s been a non-fatal accident with injuries on Highway 112, mile marker six.”
“No, man,” Hugo spits out, all of them climbing to their feet. “Shit.”
In moments, they’re gone, scaling the incline back up to the road and disappearing. Probably back to Weston, or at least to wait for a ride.
I hang up the phone, the line not even connected out here in the woods.
My feet move, ambling through the forest.
What would’ve happened if I’d killed him tonight? Would I have bribed his two guys to keep quiet? To help me bury him? Would I have had to go back to Green Street?
How many more lies would I have told?
Shortly before my father died, I remember learning that my homelife was a little different than my friends’. It was a realization like a crack of thunder in the sky. My parents didn’t scream like one of my friend’s parents did. I didn’t have to hide birthday money for fear my mom would steal it, or carry my own house key because there was never anyone home. I don’t remember exactly how my father explained it, but one day it dawned on him that he had the exact life he always wanted. He didn’t wait for the future anymore, or thirst for something else. He got everything he wanted.
I want one thing. I want Quinn running with a smile to the whole life in front of her.
And I’d really love to never have to leave again.
After I deal with Hugo and Drew, I’ll unload the firehouse and turn myself in.
Stripping off my filthy shirt, I cross the street and Madoc’s property, slipping into the outdoor shower hidden off the side of the house, in the hedges. Starting the water, I use the shirt to wipe off the blood on my face. The silent house looms next to me, and I’m sure there are a couple staff—a caterer and bartender, at least—getting things ready for Madoc, Jared, and Jax’s family, friends, and racers when they get here. I can’t make myself care, though. Madoc could be home any moment, and I wouldn’t hide. I probably wouldn’t even be able to disguise my anger and distress.
What does Drew want?
I can imagine. His job back.
And then realization hits as the shower cascades down my scalp and back. He may try to force me into coercing Madoc to get his name cleared and his job reinstated. That has to be why Hugo hasn’t hurt me yet, right? Drew interceded and kept him at bay for a reason.
“Lucas, are you okay?” I hear Quinn’s voice in front of me.
The world tilts behind my lids, and I don’t recognize what I’m feeling, but it’s not confusion. Or even fear.
I let my head fall back, warm water covering my head. I’m not a murderer.
I’m in control, and Hugo and Drew aren’t on the same side.
I feel her hands on my face. “What happened to you?”
I guess she’s not mad anymore. Opening my eyes, I let my forehead fall to hers and take her waist in my hands. She stiffens, her hands dropping to her sides, but she doesn’t move away.
“I know I should leave you alone,” I say as the water pours down my face. “I know I should find someone else. You know why I don’t?”
“You’re changing the subject,” she retorts. “What happened to you?”
I clench my jaw, swallowing before I say, “Because I know that when I return for someone’s wedding, or someone’s funeral, in five or ten years, I’ll see you across the room with some guy and feel like he’s touching someone who doesn’t belong to him.”
He’s touching someone who belongs to me. That’s why I can’t let her go.
Even now, I know. I’ll always feel it between us.
Her brows pinch together. “Lucas…”
I run my knuckles down her cheek as my thumb glides down the bridge of her nose. “And I’ll think that even if I have another woman on my arm.”
Quinn is mine.
She shakes her head slowly. “Stop—”
“I don’t want to,” I interject, that particular truth so easy to spill. “I don’t want to stop. Believe me, I wish I did.”
I wish I could do what was best for her, but for all of my faults, the most prominent seems to be greed. I want her again and again and again and…
I cup her ass in both hands and press us together, eating up her mouth in soft, quick nibbles and kisses. She’s so tender, her skin tasting like peaches. Her hands come up to push against my chest, but her mouth still opens for me. She lets me bite and lick and kiss while her eyes close like she’s on a roller coaster and has butterflies in her stomach.
God, she’s beautiful.
Watching her start to kiss me back, I unbutton her little red shorts and slip a hand in, sliding a finger inside of her.
She jolts, arching her back and gripping my arms. “Oh, God,” she moans. “Not here. What are you doing?”
I slip in a second one, pumping them in and out as I look down into her big eyes. Fingers soaked, I swirl them over her clit.
“Getting you out of my system,” I nearly choke out. “You want to get me out of yours?”
Her eyes narrow in anger, and she bares her teeth.
And she nods.
“Fuck…” I growl, gathering her in my arms and twisting her around to pin her against the shower wall. Thin strips of light peek through the wood panels on all three sides, and I kick my leg behind me, slamming the door shut. A few birds chirp as they flap their wings overhead, and the showerhead above her splashes water between us.
I massage her tongue with mine as I pull her tank top down her arms, baring her breasts, and push her shorts and panties down her legs and off her feet.
Gazing down into her face, I rub soft circles over her clit, feeling her bend her knee to open up for me a little.
Pushing two fingers inside of her again, I almost shiver at the tight heat. She’s tighter than my fucking hand. Jesus.
She whimpers, twisting her head away, and I growl in her ear, “I don’t want to stop, and you don’t want me to.”
Crooking my fingers again and again, I coax her gently, making her eyes roll and her lids flutter.
Taking her hand, I guide it to her pussy, watching her fingers take over. Backing up just a foot, I feast on the scene in front of me—Quinn with her top at her waist and the straps down her arms, one hand opening her and the other playing. Her breasts shake with her breathing, wet hair hanging in her eyes. She performs, never taking her eyes from mine.
My cock swells, pumping with blood, and I almost don’t give a shit that I don’t have protection.
Jutting my hand under one of the dispensers, I pump conditioner into my palm as I unfasten my jeans. Her eyes go wide, watching me pull out my shaft and stroke the length, my fist slow and tight around it. “I don’t have a condom again,” I tell her.
But I’m fucking coming on her stomach. I’ll damn well be her first everything, if not her only.
Leaning my arm on the wall behind her, I pump my cock, thirsty for her taste, and my teeth aching for a bite of her. Her supple breasts look like heaven, and my lips hum with the need to feel them. My memory is clear on how soft she is. Of how I want to run my mouth over every inch, leaving nothing unexplored.
But I hold off, the torture creating this longing that feels like I’m starving more every second. How long can I go before I ravage her?
She watches me stroke, the conditioner making my cock glisten, and she starts to whimper as her hand flicks faster. Her clit rocks back and forth with her fingers.
Her breathing stutters as her chest rises, and I dart my gaze to hers, watching her come, but…
She jerks her hand away. “I want you inside me now.” She pulls me into her arms, pressing her body to mine. “Hurry, I’m about to come,” she pants.
The skin of my cock stretches like a rubber band, and I feel the cum sweating from my tip.
Fuck, yes.
Burying my mouth in her neck, I back her into the wall and wrap her leg around my waist. Holding her eyes, I thrust, sliding inside of her so easily. She’s so wet, and so am I, and in a moment I’m sheathed in fire.
I shudder, groaning. “Ah, fuck…” God, I’m about to spill right now.
“Quinn…” With my mouth hovering over hers, we stare at each other as I roll my hips fast and hard, sending her sliding up and down the wall. I don’t want her to lose it. I want her to come more than once, and if I go slow, I’m definitely going to come too soon.
But as we chase her orgasm, a hard thud lands on the other side of the wall. We freeze.
“Madoc, no,” a woman says, her voice something between a whimper and a whisper.
I stop, Quinn and I searching each other’s eyes for what to do. What the fuck? Is that…?
“The boys are out,” we hear Madoc say directly behind Quinn’s head, “and A.J.’s at Jasmine’s for a sleepover.”
Panting and gasping drifts over to us, followed by a woman’s moan.
They kiss and coo, and I try to see through the slits, but all I can make out is people moving.
“But we have guests,” Fallon hisses.
“Fuck ’em.”
I look back down to Quinn, the fright in her eyes so precious I want to smile. Fuck ’em.
I said the same thing to her when she was worried that her brothers would find us at the camp. Fallon was right. I do take after him.
Starting slow again, with her big brother on the other side of the wall, I fuck her, sliding my cock out to the tip and driving back in to the hilt. Her eyes close, her face contorting into a cross between pleasure and pain, and I hold her head, flattening my body to hers, and kissing her beautiful lips.
“Don’t let them hear me,” she whispers as she trembles.
In and out, I move. Slow. Quiet. Holding her tight and wrapping my arm all the way around her neck so my hand covers her mouth while she comes on me.
“Baby,” I say in her ear, hearing her brother elicit the same cries and moans from his wife.
Quinn’s hot pussy covers me, her body going lax as the pleasure washes over her, but I don’t wait.
I start again, kneading her ass and locked in her hooded gaze.
“Gimme a beer!” someone shouts in the distance. And music drifts into the air.
People are here, but we’re exactly where we want to be, unable to stop.
