Page 93 of Havenfall Harbor
Griff stops pacing and regards me. “Who?” The single word is spoken like a curse.
I shake my head. “He didn’t know, and fuck, I hate to say it, but I believe him.”
“Did you ask the girl?”
“No, not yet. I wanted to talk to you.” I raise my brows. I also wanted to see Quinn for myself, but I don’t tell him that.
Griff looks in the direction Quinn went. “She asked me if I had something going on with the kid.” He tilts his head.
I shrug. “The girl’s been obsessed with you since you got her away from the Buchans.” There’s no other way to put it, she has. We’ve never had anyone try to sneak into the staff wing like she has. “Hell, Michelle probably has diluted herself into thinking you guys are destined to be together or some shit.”
Griff dips his chin once, acknowledging my words. “We need to figure out who else she talked to, and then decide what to do with them.”
“What do you think she wants us to do about it?” I tilt my head, indicating Quinn.
Griff snorts. “She’s got a soft spot for kids.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“I think she should be punished.” Quinn’s voice surprises me. I can’t believe she was able to return without me knowing. I lift my arm and invite her to sit next to me.
“What kind of punishment?” I ask, when she’s tucked into my side.
“Ground her.” Her face flushes. “Community service. Show her what happens to victims of violence. Show her you can’t go around hurting people to get your way.”
I look up at Griff, who is still standing across the room. The twist of his lips tells me he thinks it should be a much harsher punishment, but if we let Quinn decide, it might help her feel more in control of what happened to her. Her idea isn’t bad, not as severe as I’d like either, but not too bad.
“We might be able to work with that,” I tell her. What I don’t say is that we need to make sure Michelle knows that if anything like this ever happens again, there won’t be a slap on the wrist. She’ll go right back to her family. I think that would be worse than death at this point, and we still need to question her about who she called, find out who else knew what she did.
Quinn lets out a long exhale and cuddles deeper into my side. I decide right then Leo and Michelle can sweat it out a little longer. I’m not leaving her just yet.
Griffin
Quinn’s sleepingand I don’t want to leave her, but we need to take care of Michelle and Leo. I motion for Evan to follow me out of the room. He pulls his arm out from under Quinn’s neck and slinks into the kitchen behind me.
“Call someone you trust to watch the door, let’s get this done.”
Evan is pulling his phone from his belt before I finish. “Westly, I need you on the third floor. Meet me outside Stone’s room.” Evan hangs up before the guy could have responded.
“Westly,” I sneer. He’s the newly blooded vampire I saw Quinn talking to when we went out for the day.
“He likes her, he’ll make sure she’s safe.” Evan sounds slightly conflicted, then he adds, “Plus, he’s dating Alice, she and Quinn are friends.”
I arch an eyebrow, wondering if he realizes we are both trying to date Quinn. It’s not like someone else being in the picture makes them unavailable.
“Shut up, he’s newly turned and strong enough to deal with shit,” he says defensively.
I’m tempted to tell him I didn’t say anything, but that would just be goading him, so I don’t. We sneak out the door, leaving the television on and hoping to return before Quinn can wake up and realize we’re gone.
It only takes a few moments for Westly to jog up the hall. His eyes bounce between the two of us, but he doesn’t hesitate to come right up to us. “What do you need?”
“I want you to guard this door. No one gets in.” Evan drops his hand on his shoulder and gives him a slight squeeze. “Call me if anyone comes sniffing around.Anyone.” He puts extra emphasis on the word to make sure he understands. Westly nods quickly. “If Quinn wakes up while we’re gone and comes looking for us, tell her to wait here then call me. Do not let her leave.”
“I got it,” Westly assures us. “She okay?”
“Yes, and that’s how I want it to stay.” I don’t give him any more information and he seems to understand not to ask for any.
“We’ll be back.” Evan claps his hand on the man’s back and we stroll away. I don’t feel as confident as Evan about leaving Westly here, but I’m trusting Evan on this one.
