Quinn's Undying Rose
Page 47
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“Apologies,” Samson said after pulling the door shut behind him. A sheepish look crossed his face. “Delilah and I have had little time to ourselves lately. The baby . . . well, she keeps us on our toes.”
He was apologizing to her? Because she had walked in on them? How odd. Did he actually mean it? Rose looked at him suspiciously.
“I guess I forgot to lock the door.” He smiled briefly, then his face became serious, and he looked at Quinn. “Did you see the text Thomas just sent?”
“What text?” Quinn replied, pulling his cell phone from his pocket in the same instant. He looked at it. “It was still on vibrate.”
He swiped his finger over it and tapped one of the apps. Then his eyes shot back to Samson.
“Crap!”
Samson nodded. “Could be a coincidence of course. There are lots of guys named Blake.”
At hearing her grandson’s name, Rose went on alert. “What’s with Blake? What happened?” Her heart instantly began to race.
Samson turned to her. “We were alerted that a man named Blake was kidnapped down South yesterday. He was released without any ransom demands hours later.”
“Down South, where?”
Quinn put his hand on her forearm. “A couple of hours north of Los Angeles. It wasn’t our Blake. He’s safe.”
Then he looked at Samson. “But I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Neither did she. Nor did the proximity of this incident calm her either. Keegan knew from the letter she’d written that she was following Blake to the West Coast, and not only that. He had even more precise information.
“Where exactly?” she urged the two. “Where did it happen?”
Quinn’s forehead furrowed at her insistence. “Down in Santa Barbara.”
Her stomach lurched. “Oh God.” She knew what Keegan was doing. “He’s searching every town on the West Coast that starts with San.”
Quinn grabbed both her arms, making her look at him. “What does he know?”
Rose swallowed hard. Why had she ever written that damn letter? “He knows Blake is on the West Coast, living in a city starting with San.”
“Did he follow you here?”
She shook her head. “Impossible.”
“How would you know?”
She tossed him an angry glare. She wasn’t an amateur. She’d hidden her entire vampire life and knew how to disappear without a trace. “I use a network.”
Quinn narrowed his eyes. “What network?”
For a moment she wondered whether to tell him, whether to disclose this information. Knowing that she wouldn’t give him any names or anything else specific, she deemed it safe to tell him how she’d gotten out of Chicago.
“There’s a network of brothels and escort services I own. It’s all wrapped up in trusts. Keegan doesn’t know. Nobody does.”
Quinn stared at her in disbelief. “You own brothels?”
She shrugged. She had to make money somehow. “I treat them well. The women who work there are safer than if they were on the street somewhere. And they’re loyal.”
She noticed how Samson leaned against the railing on the deck, his arms crossed over his chest, listening with interest. He didn’t seem to judge her.
“They helped you leave Chicago undetected?” Quinn continued his questioning.
“Yes. They act as decoys, dressing like me, wearing wigs, makeup. They travel under my name to various places to lead whoever is following me on a wild goose chase.”
Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Quinn nodded. “Then how does Keegan know you’re here?”
“He saw a letter.”
“What letter? Was there a postmark on it? I thought Blake didn’t know you.”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t. It wasn’t a letter Blake wrote. I wrote it.”
“Who was it sent to?”
“It was never sent. Keegan interrupted me while I was writing it. It doesn’t matter, but he knows. He knows to search every city on the West Coast that starts with San. We have to do something.”
For a moment Quinn didn’t say anything, his eyes simply searching hers. Then he let go of her arms.
“I guess we’re going into the offensive earlier than I’d planned.”
“Offensive?” Rose echoed.
Quinn and Samson exchanged a look.
Samson smiled at her. “I think what Quinn is trying to say is that we’re going to smoke Keegan out before he can find Blake.”
“But we can’t draw attention to us, or he’ll find us even faster.” Panic ran through her veins. “You can’t do that!”
He was apologizing to her? Because she had walked in on them? How odd. Did he actually mean it? Rose looked at him suspiciously.
“I guess I forgot to lock the door.” He smiled briefly, then his face became serious, and he looked at Quinn. “Did you see the text Thomas just sent?”
“What text?” Quinn replied, pulling his cell phone from his pocket in the same instant. He looked at it. “It was still on vibrate.”
He swiped his finger over it and tapped one of the apps. Then his eyes shot back to Samson.
“Crap!”
Samson nodded. “Could be a coincidence of course. There are lots of guys named Blake.”
At hearing her grandson’s name, Rose went on alert. “What’s with Blake? What happened?” Her heart instantly began to race.
Samson turned to her. “We were alerted that a man named Blake was kidnapped down South yesterday. He was released without any ransom demands hours later.”
“Down South, where?”
Quinn put his hand on her forearm. “A couple of hours north of Los Angeles. It wasn’t our Blake. He’s safe.”
Then he looked at Samson. “But I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Neither did she. Nor did the proximity of this incident calm her either. Keegan knew from the letter she’d written that she was following Blake to the West Coast, and not only that. He had even more precise information.
“Where exactly?” she urged the two. “Where did it happen?”
Quinn’s forehead furrowed at her insistence. “Down in Santa Barbara.”
Her stomach lurched. “Oh God.” She knew what Keegan was doing. “He’s searching every town on the West Coast that starts with San.”
Quinn grabbed both her arms, making her look at him. “What does he know?”
Rose swallowed hard. Why had she ever written that damn letter? “He knows Blake is on the West Coast, living in a city starting with San.”
“Did he follow you here?”
She shook her head. “Impossible.”
“How would you know?”
She tossed him an angry glare. She wasn’t an amateur. She’d hidden her entire vampire life and knew how to disappear without a trace. “I use a network.”
Quinn narrowed his eyes. “What network?”
For a moment she wondered whether to tell him, whether to disclose this information. Knowing that she wouldn’t give him any names or anything else specific, she deemed it safe to tell him how she’d gotten out of Chicago.
“There’s a network of brothels and escort services I own. It’s all wrapped up in trusts. Keegan doesn’t know. Nobody does.”
Quinn stared at her in disbelief. “You own brothels?”
She shrugged. She had to make money somehow. “I treat them well. The women who work there are safer than if they were on the street somewhere. And they’re loyal.”
She noticed how Samson leaned against the railing on the deck, his arms crossed over his chest, listening with interest. He didn’t seem to judge her.
“They helped you leave Chicago undetected?” Quinn continued his questioning.
“Yes. They act as decoys, dressing like me, wearing wigs, makeup. They travel under my name to various places to lead whoever is following me on a wild goose chase.”
Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Quinn nodded. “Then how does Keegan know you’re here?”
“He saw a letter.”
“What letter? Was there a postmark on it? I thought Blake didn’t know you.”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t. It wasn’t a letter Blake wrote. I wrote it.”
“Who was it sent to?”
“It was never sent. Keegan interrupted me while I was writing it. It doesn’t matter, but he knows. He knows to search every city on the West Coast that starts with San. We have to do something.”
For a moment Quinn didn’t say anything, his eyes simply searching hers. Then he let go of her arms.
“I guess we’re going into the offensive earlier than I’d planned.”
“Offensive?” Rose echoed.
Quinn and Samson exchanged a look.
Samson smiled at her. “I think what Quinn is trying to say is that we’re going to smoke Keegan out before he can find Blake.”
“But we can’t draw attention to us, or he’ll find us even faster.” Panic ran through her veins. “You can’t do that!”
