Page 7 of Rehabbing the Beast
Chapter Five
As far as bars went, it was a decent enough place. Judging by the crowd, it catered to the low- to mid-range income, white-collar working class. Good folks who worked hard and wanted nothing more than a friendly face and a cold beer or two before heading out to whatever awaited them at home. Nothing fancy, but it was simple and clean. And fairly busy, too, for a weeknight.
Seth spotted Dave at the far side of the bar and, surprisingly enough, he was alone. He’d expected to find the younger man surrounded by pretty young coeds from the local university. Dave was one of those guys that women were naturally attracted to. Fairly tall, lean and well-built, with surfer-boy looks and a friendly smile to match. Seth tried to set aside his natural disgust.
He took the seat next to Dave and ordered a beer. He felt, rather than saw, Dave’s surprised glance.
“I don’t want any trouble,” Dave said quietly, staring at his beer.
“That makes two of us,” Seth said. “I was hoping maybe you would—”
Dave held up his hand to stop him. “Before you even ask, no, I don’t know where Quinn is.” He took a drink of his beer. He might have switched jobs months ago, but Seth had overheard enough to know that he did keep in touch with several of the guys he’d worked with. “And even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t tellyou.”
“That obvious, huh?” Seth muttered. He didn’t expect an answer. He didn’t get one.
Cheers from the pool tables erupted behind them. Music played from the digital jukebox. A couple of girls in business casual danced in the corner with their margaritas.
“It’s not the same without her,” Seth said finally. “Nothing is. And no one will tell me a goddamn thing. Not even if she’s okay.”
“Do you blame them?” Dave asked, finally turning to look at Seth. “You made her life a living hell. Fuck, O’Rourke, you made hercry. Any number of us wanted to shoot you for that reason alone.”
There was nothing Seth could say to that, except agree to the truth of it.
It didn’t surprise him that Quinn had managed to inspire such loyalty and protectiveness in those around her. For as strong a front as she put up, there was always the sense of something fragile just beneath the surface. Something that made people want to stand in front of her and protect her, especially from the likes of an asshole like him.
“Why’d you do it, man?” Dave asked.
That was a much more difficult question. Seth wasn’t even sure he had an answer. He had some ideas—ideas that frankly scared the shit out of him—but he sure as hell wasn’t going to share those with Dave, or anyone else for that matter.
“I just need to know she’s okay. To see for myself. And to... apologize.”
* * *
DAVE LOOKED LONG ANDhard at the man next to him. As skeptical as he was of Seth’s underlying motives, Seth looked different. Really different. It wasn’t the fact that he’d let his hair grow out past the military skull cap that had changed his appearance so much, nor that he was clean-shaven and wearing something other than gym shorts or sweats.
No, it was more significant than that. That huge chip on his shoulder was gone. Was it possible that Seth had rehabilitated more than his body? That perhaps Quinn had worked magic with more than his physical injuries? Dave wasn’t a religious man, but he’d seen Quinn do things that modern medicine couldn’t explain.
“Tell me something,” Dave said quietly. “You never filed charges against me for whaling on you that day. Why?”
Seth lifted the beer to his lips and took a long pull. “Because I deserved it. And because you were the only one with balls big enough to do it. Fuck, if the situations were reversed, I probably would have killed you and disposed of your mutilated body months ago.”
It didn’t make for a nice visual, but the words were heartfelt and genuine just the same. Dave could respect that.
Dave nodded. “I must be fucking crazy for even thinking about doing this,” he mumbled. “And before I do, you have to swear that you’re not going to hurt her. Yourword, man. No bullshit.”
Dave sensed that if Seth gave his word, he would keep it. Half a dozen men owed their lives to the guy sitting next to him, and those were just the ones Dave knew through the rehabilitation center. Seth O’Rourke might be a bastard, but Dave had seen enough good men struggling through grievous injuries to know that the shit they had to deal with messed up the wiring sometimes. Wounded animals tended to lash out, and with what some of these guys had gone through, it was a wonder they retained any civility whatsoever. The guy next to him had single-handedly saved six men at great cost to himself. So yeah, maybe he could cut Seth a break.
Seth looked at him with barely guarded hope. “My word.”
“All right,” Dave said on an exhale. “It’s not much, mind you. Quinn is a very private person. But I do know that her last name is Brennan and one time, when she was working with an older guy, I overheard him say he knew her father from when he used to live in a place called Graystonville.”
“Graystonville?” Seth asked. The name rang a distant bell.
“Yeah, that’s what he said.”
Seth thanked him. Signaling to the bartender, he bought Dave another beer and added a shot. With any luck he could be packed and on the road within the hour.
For the first time in months, the beast stretched and yawned, flexing its claws.
