“I can’t, doll. I need to do this.” Anger so deep it actually surprised him with its intensity, boiled up from somewhere deep inside his core. “You’re asking the impossible. I—” Shit, was he really going to do this now? “I didn’t want to say it like this. Damn.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “I love you, Quinn. I can’t let him hurt you again.”
Quinn flung herself off the bed and at Rick, wrapping her arms around his neck, hanging on for dear life.
“I’m begging you, Rick. I love you too. So much. Don’t become like him. I don’t know if I can stand it if you murder him.”
Exasperated, Rick unwound her arms. “It’s not murder, Quinn! He’s a fucking animal and needs to be taken out!” The significance of the declarations they just exchanged was being swept away in a ridiculous argument.
She shook her head back and forth, her eyes closed. “No. No. I can’t, Rick. I can’t be with a murderer.” Her breath was stilted, going in and out unevenly.
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Rage and resentment boiled up in his gut. This time, he couldn’t contain himself.
“I have news for you, doll… I am a murderer! I’ve killed so many people, I’ve lost count! One more piece of shit won’t change that!”
“It might not change you, Rick. But it will change me.” Quinn took a step back, looking at Rick like her heart was breaking. Unconsciously, she swiped at a tear that ran down her cheek. “Your work isn’t the same. This is personal, not an order, not a government operation… it’s born of hate and revenge. It’s murder and you know it. I won’t look at you the same, not ever again. All I’ll see is how you took your vengeance and became the judge, jury, and executioner. I can’t love someone like that. That was Travis, using anger as his motivation to do unspeakable things, and I won’t make that mistake again.” Her words came out as a sob at the end.
An icy fear slid down Rick’s spine, spreading goose bumps all over his skin. Quinn was serious. She would leave him over this, even if she loved him. If he took revenge on that bastard, he’d lose the only woman he’d ever loved. It was unbelievably fucking unfair.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me. I want to protect you.”
“So protect me.” More tears ran down her face as she waited for his decision. Did he lose her or lose his chance at Travis?
He huffed in incredulity, raking a hand through his hair. She had him by the balls and he despised how it felt, but no matter what he thought he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her any further. “Fine. But I’m telling you I don’t like it. It goes against everything I am.”
“No, Rick. You’re a good man. An honest man. Not a twisted psycho like Travis.” She must have caught on to the doubt he felt at her words because she reached for his hands, clasping them in hers. “Promise me, Rick. Promise you won’t kill him.”
“Christ, Quinn. I said I wouldn’t do it, alright?” He was thoroughly exasperated by this conversation.
“Promise,” she whispered, releasing his hands to lift hers up to his face, softly scraping her fingers over his day-old beard.
Ignoring every impulse, every natural instinct in his body to hunt down Travis and tear him to pieces, Rick reluctantly agreed, nearly growling out his response. “I promise.”
“Thank you.” Her hands tugged, urging him down to meet her lips. The salty tears that were trailing down her face ended up between them, the taste mingling with Quinn’s on his tongue.
He pulled back to rest his forehead on hers. “Anything for you, doll. Anything.”
Even if it means sacrificing every bit of myself to be with you.
“For the hundredth time, I don’t know where he is!”
After being interrogated about her ex by the men of Sanctum for over two hours, all Quinn wanted to do was scream and run out into the street. Five large men, minus Mack who was in his office and Tucker who was in Mission Control, were barking out question after question from their seats around the conference room table.
“Christ, he couldn’t have fucking disappeared. He’s got a house and a fucking job!” Clint’s face was bright red with anger, the veins on his neck protruding from the skin.
“Okay, let’s go back to his family and friends.”
Quinn turned to Dane, not bothering to mask her complete and utter frustration at him asking her the same question… again.
“That’s it.” She threw up her hands and shoved her chair back from the table. “I’m done. This is stupid.” Ignoring their shouts of protest, she stormed out the door, knowing that Rick would be hot on her heels.
Rick nearly knocked her over when she abruptly spun around to face him. “What? Are you going to repeat yourself over and over when you know damn well if I had any answers, I would give them to you?”
His hands flew up, palms out, to calm her down. “No. I understand you’re frustrated. I’m frustrated. Hell, everyone’s frustrated.” She watched as the tall, stunning man began scraping both hands through his dark hair, messing it up until it looked as if he just rolled out of bed.
Quinn felt the resentment leave her in a rush, having been replaced with a wave of lust for Rick’s gorgeous body. She needed an escape from this nightmare, and he provided the perfect one. Slowly, she crept forward. Rick was so consumed with his irritation that he didn’t notice her until she pressed up against him and ground her hips sensually.
“Huh? Oh.” His eyes flew up to focus on hers. Quinn watched as his pupils dilated, the black nearly eclipsing the shocking turquoise of his irises when he caught on to her advances.
“Let’s go upstairs. I need a break.” Quinn punctuated her point by sliding a hand down over Rick’s ass and giving it a squeeze.