Page 12 of The Devil's Reward
“No need, I’m good.” He looks at Macy and winks. “I think you’ve got a little heartbreaking grifter on your hands.”
“You have no idea,” I mutter. Suddenly his name clicks for me. I look at him and ask, “Are you the same Shadow I talked to earlier on the phone, that runs Devil’s Security?” His gaze sharpens at my question. “I’m Quinn Holt, the social worker at the VA clinic.”
My name clicks almost instantly, and he nods. “I am. Nice to meet you in person, Ms. Holt,” he says politely, shaking my hand. The heat of his hand makes me blush again, and I have to pull it away quickly before it can get clammy. “And thanks again for sending Crypt my way.”
“Oh, ah, you’re welcome.” I give him a small smile before turning to my daughter, “It’s time to go, Macy. Thank Mr. Shadow for the chips and then hand them over. You’re not having them before your supper.”
She pouts and reluctantly hands them over. I can see mutiny in her eyes, but she quickly thinks better of making a scene and instead says to Shadow, “Thank you, Mr. Shadow.”
“You’re welcome, gorgeous,” he says with a smile. I take Macy’s hand and give him a small smile and nod before I head for the door. Just before we reach it, he stops me by saying my name. I turn and he says, “If you ever need to bail that sweet little con artist of yours out of jail, let me know. I have a bail fund set aside already, and I’d be happy to lend some.”
When he winks at me, I can only stare at him, even when he heads to the counter. I get my wits about me and head out the door, but the question swirling around in my head is: why does he need a bail fund?
SEVEN
SHADOW
My entire world has somehow tilted on its axis, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be right-side up again.
My heart pounds as I walk towards the counter. I keep my smile in place, but in my head, I can’t fathom what just happened. Who I just saw. I’m immensely glad that Quinn mostly avoided my gaze at first, because I don’t know if I could have hidden my reaction so well if she hadn’t. My entire world has somehow tilted on its axis, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be right-side up again.
Quinn Holt is almost the spitting image of Sam. With the exception of copper hair instead of Sam’s blonde, and green eyes instead of Sam’s brown, her face structure, her body type, and the way she moved were all Sam. Well, except that Sam had more confidence, but all the same, it’s like seeing a ghost.
Memories well up inside my head, and I shove them right back down as deep as they can go. Quinn is not Sam. Sam is dead and buried, and I don’t believe in reincarnation or anything else that could explain it. No, it’s merely a coincidence, that’s all. Which is why I ignore every instinct inside me to turn around and go after Quinn. To look at her one more time to see if my mind is just playing a cruel trick on me, or if she really looks like the woman I lost.
Instead, I focus on Rose and Torque, who are watching me behind the counter. Rose’s mouth is pulled down into a slight frown, and Torque is patiently waiting. The last thing I need right now is Rose digging at me, so I focus on Torque instead, and the reason I’m here. “Titan called and said that new part for my bike is in.”
Torque nods. “Got it out back. I’ll run and get it. Or do you want me just to schedule you in later this week?”
I hate being without my bike, and while I’m mechanically savvy, I don’t quite have Torque’s touch with it. “Schedule it in,” I say with a shrug. “I’ll have one of the Prospects drive me over to the office afterwards. Got too much damn paperwork anyway to worry about going anywhere.”
Torque nods and looks at Rose expectantly. She just arches a brow at him. “Care to fill in the little woman on what we’re talking about?” she asks sweetly, but the glint in her eyes makes clear that she doesn’t appreciate being talked around. I bite back a chuckle.
Torque fills her in and then gives her a big, charming smile that he probably hopes will get him out of trouble. “If you don’t mind booking that in, Oh Great Mother of Mine?” he asks.
Rose snorts. “If you were actually sincere, I might believe you, but yes, I’ll do it.” As she taps away on the keyboard, she adds, “You really need a receptionist here, Torque. I don’t mind filling in, but someone consistent will keep this place moving a lot smoother.”
Torque sighs. “I know. I’ll put an ad together tonight and we can post it. I figured we could manage without one after the last fiasco, but apparently that was wishful thinking.”
“Well, if you would think with the big head instead of the little head when hiring them, it wouldn’t be a problem,” she drawls, making him wince.
Torque’s last receptionist was a beautiful woman, but she spent more time flirting and trying to get Torque’s attention than working. Not to mention, there was the whole her clearing off his desk and laying on it buck naked and fucking herself with a dildo when he came in fiasco. Unlucky for her, Rose was with him, and she sent that girl packing so fast, her head spun.
Torque scowls at her. “How was I supposed to know she was crazy?” he demands. “I’ll let you and Izzy do the hiring then, since apparently I can’t be trusted.”
“That’s probably the smartest thing you’ve said all day,” Izzy drawls as she makes her way out of the shop, with Titan and Timber right behind her. Izzy is gorgeous and damn smart. She has her long blonde hair up in a top knot, and her blue eyes are framed only by some mascara, but she’s wearing coveralls much the same as the others, and her hands are stained with oil and grease. She’s a mixture of beauty and tough, and Torque is one lucky bastard.
I carefully look her over, not seeing any signs of distress on her face other than some fatigue. You’d never know she only just got out of the hospital and this is her first full day back to work. Still, I’ll be monitoring her, just in case. Medic has already warned us that Izzy isn’t out of the woods yet. She was shot up with two highly addictive drugs, and there is still a good chance that she could slide that slippery slope down into addiction. We won’t let it happen, especially not Torque.
Even now, I can see the guilt in his eyes, as well as the love, as she moves towards him. I know the feeling all too well of not being there quickly enough. Hopefully, he’ll have an easier time getting over it than I did. Though, in Izzy’s case, she’s still breathing, so he won’t have to deal with that guilt for the rest of his life.
Titan is a relatively new member for our club, but before he came here, he was a member of the Golden Skulls MC out in California. Which is exactly why he’s still high on my list of people to watch. From all outward appearances, he’s a loyal brother, but we know the mafia has far-reaching connections all across the country, so it would make sense that he could have come here to help them expand their reach. He’s tall with strawberry blonde hair, dark eyes, and a short cropped beard, and has some experience with MMA fighting. If he is our mole, he’s not going down without a fight.
Timber is our second African-American brother, though where Viper is viewed as dangerous, Timber is the jokester. Though, if you piss him off, he can certainly give Viper a run for his money. He’s tall, but keeps his hair cut military short, and keeps just a hint of scruff on his face to give him a slightly edgier look. He’s not as high on my list of suspects, but he definitely has a smooth way of working and talking with people. It’s probably the Louisiana accent; I’ve seen it work on more than a few people when he wants to get his way. Women especially fawn all over him.
“I’m always smart,” Torque fires back, but I see the twitch of his lips as I’m pulled from my thoughts.
Izzy rolls her eyes. She looks past him to Rose and says, “I’m sure you can handle the interviews, but if you want my input, let me know.”
