Page 248 of Quinlan

“Hey!” the Suit—my competition—yells when I wrench the door open before he gets there. “Stop.”

Without so much as ahello, I fold myself into the backseat, slamming the door behind me.

The second doorman from my building flings his body forward. He’s out in the street, talking on his walkie talkie and waving his free arm, telling me to, “Come back, Ms. Palmer.”

“Drive.” I rattle my parents’ address to the lady driver. A black baseball cap hides her face, her blonde hair draping down her back. “Hurry, please.”

“I just need to set the sign tooccupied.” She’s painstakingly slow as she slides her finger on the dashboard. As if this is the first time she’s done that. Everyone’s coming at us.

“Please, just go.”

“Hold on.” Her voice is strained. “One more second and…”

Air rushes in as a door opens. Someone starts sliding into the backseat behind the driver. A dark figure in jeans and a tan shirt bends.

One of his legs is already in the taxi.

Since my driver continues stalling, I’ll have to be the one to tell him to get the fuck off.

Fine with me.

“Sir, you can’t come in here. This is my—”

He’s fully seated now, turning to face me.

“Hey, kid. Going somewhere?”

Oh, shit.

Rex.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Quinlan

The taxi blends intotraffic, and she’s fast. As fast as the cars around her would allow. Is she even going to take me to my parents?

I don’t answer Rex, twisting to the door, pulling the handle. Nothing happens.

It’s locked from the inside.

No, I don’t think she’s taking me to my parents. Rex must have paid her or something.

Fuck.

Even though it’s hopeless, I keep testing the handle. It’s an old car. It could give in.

It could.

“What’s this, Quinlan?” Rex says behind me, his tone derisive. “We haven’t seen each other in a month, and you already try to leave me again?”

Fuck this handle. I turn to face him, frowning at thisthing. At this monster.

“Got something to say?” He cocks an eyebrow.

A month ago, I would’ve frozen in place at the underlying threat. A month ago, his evil grin would’ve scared me into being the docile, perfect sister he wanted me to be.

Thing is, I’ve changed.

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