Page 25 of Whatever It Takes

“Mom,why are all those police cars in our driveway?”

I slowly waded my way through the three unmarked cars and the two patrol cars sitting in front of my house.This couldn’t be good, I thought as I pulled in behind Quinn’s truck.

Quinn was talking to a group of uniformed officers who were camped out on my front porch. When he saw me, he leaped over the railing and ran to my car. Before I even had a chance to unbuckle my seat belt, he flung the door open.

His eyes were wild, and his hands shook as he pulled me out of the car. “Where the hell have you been?”

“What happened?” I asked as he planted me firmly down on the pavement. I looked behind him to where Emery was sitting in the back seat. Quinn’s gaze followed mine and he let go of my arm and rushed over to grab her.

“Hey, Peanut.” His voice was strained, and every possible scenario raced through my head, and not one amounted to anything good. “Sorry to scare you. I tried to call your mom and got worried. I sent a few friends of mine over here to check on you guys and make sure you both were okay.”

Emery smiled up at Quinn completely oblivious to the chaos around us. “We were at the movies.”

I reached into my purse and pulled my phone out to see the missed calls. “I turned my phone off when we got into the theater,” I explained.

Quinn helped Emery out of the car, by pulling her up and wrapping her little legs around his waist. A female officer with shoulder-length dark hair and a warm smile walked over. “Hi, Emery, my name is Joanne. Would you like to go inside and color with me while Quinn talks to your mom?”

Emery’s hands folded around Quinn’s neck, holding on for dear life. He pressed a hand to the back of her hair and kissed her forehead. “It’s okay, Peanut. Joanne is a friend of mine. Will you go inside with her while I talk to your mom for a few minutes?”

She looked unsure and worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

He ran his hand across her cheek trying to ease her anxiety. “It’s okay.” He eyed the pizza box in the back seat and pointed to the leftovers we brought home with us. “Did you leave me a piece like you promised?” Emery nodded her head. “Good girl. Would you mind putting my pizza on a plate and wrapping it up for me, so it doesn’t get cold? I promise, your mom and I won’t be long. As soon as we’re finished, you can watch me eat and tell me all about your movie. Sound good?”

Her green, trusting eyes flickered across his face. “Okay.”

My heart did a funny little thing while I watched the two of them together. It made me realize that I made a monumental mistake by letting him back into my life. She was already getting attached to Quinn. It was going to be hard when this was over and he was no longer around.

I watched as he handed my daughter over to the friendly lady in uniform. I gave her my key ring as she held hands with a bouncing Emery, who was clearly excited about spending time with Quinn after.

“Did you find him?” I asked as he stepped in front of me.

Quinn roughed a hand over his face. “No. He fucking found me.” He dug deep into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. “I found this on my windshield.”

With a shaking hand I looked at the photo of a note with the familiar handwriting. What the hell was Grant up to? I couldn’t for the life of me understand how he’d gotten himself into this situation.

“The note was turned over as evidence,” Quinn explained and stepped uncomfortably close into my personal space. He angled his head to the side, looking as angry as I’ve ever seen him. “Have you heard from him?”

I hated that he even had to ask me that, but I understood that it was his job. Now was not the time to feel insulted. “I swear on my daughter’s life I haven’t heard from him, but…” I shook my head. “It’s probably nothing, but when Emery and I were on a walk the other day, there was a dark car with tinted windows parked at the end of the street. Then, later at the park, I thought I saw the same car, but I can’t be sure.”

“Why is this the first time we are hearing about this?”

“Because nothing happened. Am I expected to report every unfamiliar car I see?”

It seemed like he was debating something in his head as he looked at me for a long moment. That should have been my first warning, because Quinn never gave his emotions away. “I wanted to put this conversation off, but there is something you need to know.”

I swallowed thickly. “Okay.”

“The security footage from my apartment complex was able to get a picture of the license plate of the car he was driving.”

“What are you saying?”

“You really have no idea of the things he’s done or the people he’s involved with, do you?”

My eyes narrowed. “Obviously not, if we’re having this conversation right now.”

He cursed and started to pace in front of me. “Your husband isn’t the kind of guy you think he is, Charlotte.”

I stepped forward and lowered my voice. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

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