QUINN
"Shit!" Danny cursed under his breath just as I closed the door to his car.
"What?" Miranda quizzed. Her entire body was still jittery with a mixture of excitement and nerves. We both couldn't believe our plan worked — more me than her because...
It was a freaking insane plan!
But here we were in the back seat of the blacked-out range rover my brother drove which blended into the darkness of the night. It was a little over midnight. Miranda and I had to wait for everything to go silent before actually attempting our take on Prison Break. Danny and Miranda were in contact the entire time, him leading her to the safe spots in the house so we could get out without being seen and caught. I felt like a secret agent.
"Let's just get out of here," Daniel pulled away from the scope of the gun he had mounted on the window.
I didn't know much about weapo
GUNNAR I rose to my feet, thin black dart pressed between my thumb and index finger. A card spade symbol had been stamped along the length of the dart in white ink. It didn't take a genius to figure out who these darts belonged to. I looked down at the guard's body at my feet, releasing a growl of frustration. Fucking morons. Each one of them that was hit tonight was a bunch of morons that I apparently paid to wear a suit, stand around, and look pretty. I looked out the window of Quinn's room, a clear view of the road from where I stood. Then I turned to the ruffled bed and clenched my jaw. If she came back or if I found her alive I would kill her myself. The infuriating bratty woman crawled under my skin. I didn't know whether I felt angry or if I felt stress wondering where the fuck she went and with who. It was both emotions, I settled, stalking out of the room and marching my way to my brother's.
QUINN Three days. That was how long Gunnar had forced me to sleep in his bed. Except, he didn't sleep with me. We came home that night and he ignored me. He never pestered me about what Eddie had told me and I guess that had a lot to do with what he said back at Miranda's apartment. Gunnar was giving me an option; a choice, whether I wanted to tell him or not. But the longer I held out on the information, the more his unyielding temper flared. The next day he took me to work with him. I assumed my PA position again and I managed to disclose my true identity to Jaxon and Priyanka at last. They were, obviously, hurt or mad at me at first but that didn't take too long to thaw out. We went about our days normal after that. As normal as I could anyway. The Devil of a man kept me glued to his side, never letting me out of sight. I mean, I understood where he was coming from but a girl needed air to breathe. All this smothering
QUINN Dark side by Oshins featuring Hael played on the sound doc as I moved around the kitchen. Gunnar was still upstairs having a shower while I decided to get some good, old-fashioned breakfast ready. I thought about it for a long while in the shower and realized that the men in this house lacked so much — bar Gunnar for the most part. Ace and Jericho didn't get to wake up every morning to a breakfast prepared with love by their mother's hands. They didn't get to be fussed over or coddled and pretend to hate it while they secretly adored it. They didn't have the childhood I had or half the childhood Gunnar had. And maybe that was the reason Ace gave off asshole energy that could light up the state of Florida. Jericho may have been the sweeter one but behind that smile, I imagined hid enormous amounts of pain and heartache. So, I wanted to try something normal. These brothers always ate dinner together
QUINN Jericho left after dinner and so did Ace. It felt good to have one day free of everything happening in the world around us. The cherry on top of the ice cream sundae had to be both Ace and Gunnar's faces after I had won the paintball match. Well, Gunnar and I had won but all credit was due to me. I grinned at the feeling of victory that had my skin humming as I made my way into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I shoved the contents around until I came across the grapes. Pulling the bowl of chilled grapes out, I kicked the door closed. At that second, my heart lodged itself in my throat as I shrieked, "CHRIST!" I was almost certain I suffered from an out-of-body experience. Amusement lit up Gunnar's green-brown eyes but the rest of his face held onto his stoic mask. Then his gaze dipped toward the bowl of grapes and I could have sworn his features twisted darkly. My heart didn't calm down after tha
QUINN It was the first time I had woken up in Gunnar's arms. The heat of his breath sent shivers down my spine. My body felt hyper-aware of his presence behind me. The way my body fit perfectly against him. The way his strong arm kept me secured against him. I could feel the hard plains of his muscles against my back, his legs tangled with mines, the way his chest moved in an even rise and fall. Whatever this was between us, whatever happened last night, it felt perfect and I didn't want it to end. He may have been the Devil but he was my Devil. I'd happily claim him as mine the way he had claimed me as his last night. I always knew in my gut that I could trust Gunnar but I never would have thought that I could possibly love him too. Not after what he had done to me. But it was a miracle he could even look at me after what my father had done to him. I needed to know why my father did the things he did.
QUINNI had never felt so intimidated before, that too, at the sight of my own home coming into view. Part of me wanted to turn back, run for the freaking hills, and then some. Another part knew I deserved the answers I was searching for. If there was a chance for my life to return to anything close to normal, I needed this."Remind me again why I'm here?" Miranda scowled in the back seat of the SUV. Ace had the driver's seat and I took the passenger seat, "I'd prefer to be miles away from this guy," she pointed her finger at Ace's head."Don't look at me," I shrugged a shoulder but offered her a sympathetic smile. Miranda honestly shouldn't have been here, "I'm not the one who brought you along.""No you weren't," she huffed in agreement, "it was this tyrant of a man that dragged me out of bed and brought me here," Miranda shoved Ace's head but he barely even flinched."I
GUNNARI couldn't concentrate. Not on one fucking thing. The entire day was a waste. Every meeting I had was a blur, my thoughts constantly going back to this morning. I wouldn't have minded the thought of fucking Little one senseless replaying itself in my mind on a constant loop. But it wasn't. It was our conversation afterward. She wanted to see her father. Deep down, I knew I couldn't stop her. She had a right to see her family. I just wished I knew what bullshit he was feeding her.Ace was with her so I knew she would be safe. I trusted my brother not to let me down. He knew how much this meant to me, how much she meant to me. I was done trying to understand it — done trying to convince myself that I felt nothing for her. All I knew was that I slept better at night with her in my arms. I could breathe easier knowing that I would be going home to her. My heartbeat thrummed a little harder knowing that she was saf
QUINNI watched Venus run around in the garden. It was early. The morning sun kissed my face as it rose into the sky, offering it an orange-red blend. I inhaled the crisp air, the breeze carrying sweet notes from the flowers surrounding me."You're out here by yourself?" Ace sat down beside me, draping an arm behind me on the wooden bench. He sounded a little surprised by me being alone."Your brother is asleep," the corner of my lips twitched upward at the thought, "I didn't want to wake him." I turned to Ace, looking him up and down for a quick beat before saying, "you just came home?"He hummed in response, mouth opening into a massive yawn. Ace blinked his eyes, trying to hide his fatigue but he was failing, "I've been busy," he brought two fingers up to his lips, tracing the seam in deep thought, "I'm doing a job for Gunnar, and let's just say, I need to be thorough with my recon beca
QUINN"He's in a meeting at the moment but he should be done soon," Priyanka informed me while we both shot Gunnar's secretary a glare that could kill.She was getting on my last nerve. I had been trying to get into Gunnar's office for the past half an hour and she refused to let me in. Since she wasn't part of the meeting, I figured that it had little to do with Astor Architecture and a lot to do with another arms deal. Gunnar had told her not to let anyone in while he was busy but I was almost certain that didn't apply to me."He won't mind if I go in but I'll wait since I'm apparently not permitted entrance," I sarcastically muttered, propping my hands on the curve of my hips."Forget it. Talking to her is like telling a brick wall to move," Priyanka snarled but that quickly turned into a grin when she turned to me, "you've got to tell me everything. Did you finally get that Vitamin D t
GUNNARThis was the last place I wanted to be, the last place I expected to be. I had to exercise every bit of my restraint. Last night I had let Quinn down. I wasn't about to do it again. She would completely hate me if I decided to make my way down the hall to do to her father what he had done to mine. But I couldn't take it. Knowing that he was only meters away from me had my palms itching with vengeance. He deserved everything he had coming to him and more. So much fucking more, and I wanted to be the one who delivered his punishment. I wanted to deliver him to his maker so he could suffer for the sins he committed.Quinn shuffled beside me. She had been tossing and turning for the entire night. I had returned to find her asleep and decided not to disturb her by waking her up. She may have been asleep but she was restless, mumbling incoherent words in her sleep while tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes. I manag
QUINN I looked into Mickey's dimming eyes and then dropped my gaze down to the blood coating my hands once more. My entire body felt cold, every hair standing on end. I watched Mickey open and close his mouth but I couldn't hear anything. Matter of fact, I couldn't hear anything past the ringing in my ears. The ringing began to dull down and someone's deep, frantic voice cut through. They were clearly shouting my name but it sounded muffled — so far away. Someone's rough hands tugged my body away from Mickey's. Another gunshot sounded, causing the ringing to pick up yet again. The bullet entered Mickey's skull, blood splattering everywhere. A scream filled with utter terror ripped from my lungs and — because of my reflexes — my hands flew to my mouth, smearing blood all over my face. "Shhh..." The person behind me cooed in an attempt to calm me but he was failing. Hot
QUINN I had watched many movies where the protagonist found themselves in life-threatening situations. Usually, they would watch their life flash right before their eyes. But of course, it was different for me. I just blankly stared down the barrel of the gun Mickey had pointed at my chest. My warning bells weren't ringing anymore. I simply took in a deep breath, feeling as calm as the ocean before a storm. Honestly, if I knew this was how things were going to play out, I would have probably not gone along with Eddie's plan. All I was meant to do was seduce him, the way I was meant to do with Gunnar. I figured I could play the part. Once he made his move, I was fully ready to off the son of a bitch. It would have been self-defense. According to Eddie, Mickey had cameras all over his home. If that was where we ended up, then this night would have played out differently. Mickey would have been dead and I would have had foo
GUNNAR I glared at the man sprawled on the floor with my brother's foot lodged against his throat. Crouching down beside him, I gave him more incentive to follow my instructions by pressing the cool metal of my gun into his temple, "Call your men off on my brother." "Vaffanculo figlio di puttana," he sputtered, trying to push my brother's boot off his throat. The bastard's face began to turn bright red, beads of cold sweat tricking down his hairline. I shook my head. Pathetic. This was a waste of my time but I had to make sure Jericho was safe first before I could take another step. He was my priority at the moment because I knew Quinn was safe — for now, at least, "Kill him." I rose to my feet dismissively, engaging the safety on my gun and tucking it into my waistband. My psychotic middle brother grinned, excitement lighting up his hazel eyes when he pulled the trigger. A loud bang r
QUINNReflecting on the past, actually thinking about the majority of my childhood, I was slowly beginning to realize that my brother had prepared me for this life as best as he could without actually giving anything away. When I was young he used to play-fight with me and while doing so he taught me how to throw a perfect punch and a few kicks.When in doubt, always aim for the crotch.That was the advice he had given me on multiple occasions. I never thought that any of that information would come in handy but things always worked out in the most unexpected ways. In all fairness, I really wished I had more training to deal with what lied ahead. Maybe some knife-throwing classes. I had good aim so I could see that working out.It was dark and there was a distinct chill in the air that had goosebumps littering the exposed flesh of my arms. I wore a spaghetti strap body con dress that ended
QUINNI watched Venus run around in the garden. It was early. The morning sun kissed my face as it rose into the sky, offering it an orange-red blend. I inhaled the crisp air, the breeze carrying sweet notes from the flowers surrounding me."You're out here by yourself?" Ace sat down beside me, draping an arm behind me on the wooden bench. He sounded a little surprised by me being alone."Your brother is asleep," the corner of my lips twitched upward at the thought, "I didn't want to wake him." I turned to Ace, looking him up and down for a quick beat before saying, "you just came home?"He hummed in response, mouth opening into a massive yawn. Ace blinked his eyes, trying to hide his fatigue but he was failing, "I've been busy," he brought two fingers up to his lips, tracing the seam in deep thought, "I'm doing a job for Gunnar, and let's just say, I need to be thorough with my recon beca
GUNNARI couldn't concentrate. Not on one fucking thing. The entire day was a waste. Every meeting I had was a blur, my thoughts constantly going back to this morning. I wouldn't have minded the thought of fucking Little one senseless replaying itself in my mind on a constant loop. But it wasn't. It was our conversation afterward. She wanted to see her father. Deep down, I knew I couldn't stop her. She had a right to see her family. I just wished I knew what bullshit he was feeding her.Ace was with her so I knew she would be safe. I trusted my brother not to let me down. He knew how much this meant to me, how much she meant to me. I was done trying to understand it — done trying to convince myself that I felt nothing for her. All I knew was that I slept better at night with her in my arms. I could breathe easier knowing that I would be going home to her. My heartbeat thrummed a little harder knowing that she was saf
QUINNI had never felt so intimidated before, that too, at the sight of my own home coming into view. Part of me wanted to turn back, run for the freaking hills, and then some. Another part knew I deserved the answers I was searching for. If there was a chance for my life to return to anything close to normal, I needed this."Remind me again why I'm here?" Miranda scowled in the back seat of the SUV. Ace had the driver's seat and I took the passenger seat, "I'd prefer to be miles away from this guy," she pointed her finger at Ace's head."Don't look at me," I shrugged a shoulder but offered her a sympathetic smile. Miranda honestly shouldn't have been here, "I'm not the one who brought you along.""No you weren't," she huffed in agreement, "it was this tyrant of a man that dragged me out of bed and brought me here," Miranda shoved Ace's head but he barely even flinched."I