Deadly Secrets (48 page)

“You pushed her really hard. I seriously thought Quinlan was going to go around with you.”

“Might let him yet. He’s got too much anger to focus effectively,” he said, sliding her off his lap and standing. He supposed he ought to apologize. Again. Quin might not get it, but in Ian’s experience, it was easier to be mad and productive than to wallow and wilt and hope for production. On the other hand, too much anger made you too rash. Quin’s anger burned hot, bright.

Ella’s.

Ella’s anger he could use. And he would. Hers was beyond hot. Beyond burning. Hers was ice cold. That type he knew and understood all too well.

He’d seen the difference in her when she’d come back into the living room.

Sighing, he stood and said, “I should go talk to him.”

“I doubt he wants to talk to you.”

“Yes, but he has to.” His phone rang. Aiden. “What?”

“Thought you’d want to know. Mom and Dad are on their way.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where are you?”

“Out getting a bite to eat at this little hole-in-the-wall place. Huevos and pollo verde enchiladas or something. Great food. We’ll have to eat here some other time. Two blocks west of the hotel. Maria’s is the name of the joint.”

He checked his watch. “When will they be here?”

“Not sure. Gavin just phoned and then Bray phoned and then Jesslyn. Anyway, Mom and Pops are on their way. If you’re there, tell Quin and I guess Ella.”

“Will do.”

He hung up and looked at the woman who’d stolen his heart, a heart he’d thought dead and buried in more ways than one.

“Who’s coming?” she asked him, tilting her head and stretching.

“Mom and Pops.”

“Ian, I want to go home. I know you might need me here and I’ll stay if you want me to, but I miss the kids and I don’t like leaving them this long.”

He didn’t either, truth be known. His kids were safe though; his brother’s family, not so much. He couldn’t just go home . . .

“I’m not asking you to come with me,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I would stay with you, but I know our daughter. She’ll worry herself sick and into not eating if both of us are gone any longer. We’ve been gone days already. And Sebella mentioned the boys having nightmares.”

He knew she was right. Didn’t stop him from wishing she could stay. “I wish I could go with you.”

“But you can’t, so suck it up, bring her home to her parents and then come home yourself. Besides, I’ve a feeling it won’t be much longer. Itchy near the end, you know?”

He nodded. “I love you. Thanks for going to check the adoption place out with me. And the apartment in the middle of the night. That was fun.”

“You too. And of course I went with you. People like us have to play some or we get rusty, and if we get rusty—”

“We get killed.” He brushed his finger down her nose. “You do know we are retired?”

“Said the pot to the kettle,” she said, leaning up to kiss him. “Go make nice with Quin so he’ll listen to you next time. I’m going to start digging more into Jareaux’s background. I don’t know as I trust his colleagues to fully vet him now, or punish him either.”

He laughed. “Already on it, love.”

“Figured.” They walked back into the living room. Quin was helping Ella into a coat that someone had gotten for her. The bright blue jacket did nothing to help her pale complexion.

“Aiden called because others called to warn him,” he said, pulling Quin to the side.

“Why? About what?”

“Mom and Pops are on their way. Will be here later today.”

Quinlan grimaced and glanced to Ella, who waited by the door. “Great. I’ll tell her. Get them another room though. I love ’em, but I can’t handle them right now and all the questions and what all not.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Ian shifted. “I’m sorry I upset you earlier, Quin. That wasn’t my intention.”

“No? You accomplished it anyway.” His brother’s green eyes blazed at him as they had all morning. He knew Quin trusted him, or had.

“Look, we need her help. She needed a nudge to stop blaming herself.”

“There’s a difference between a nudge and a shove.”

Kid was right. He nodded at him. “For what it’s worth, I apologize for my methods.”

“Can we all stop with the never-ending apologies?” Ella asked. “You’re making me go to the doctor,” she said to Quin. “I don’t want to go, but I’m going, so let’s go already. I’m fine. Stop being mad at him. I’m sure he’s pissed everyone off at least once.”

“Usually twice a day,” Rori quipped from beside him. “For the most part, though, he’s great.”

“Rori’s going to head home, as well,” Ian told them. “Kids are getting restless.”

Ella frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize . . .”

“No worries, love,” Rori told her. “When a Kinncaid’s in trouble, the family descends.”

“But I’m . . .” Ella’s words faded.

“Glad you didn’t finish that, or my mad would have switched from Ian to you really quickly,” Quin said. “Ready?”

“No, wait.” She tilted her head and studied Rori, her eyes narrowed. “I admit, I’ve been out of it, and I haven’t seen you much. You’re quiet. But I think I know your voice, you’re the woman on the phone. Quin’s phone. Why did you . . . but I heard . . .” She looked from one to the other.

“Oh, not what you think,” Rori said.

“Yeah, about my phone,” Quin said, his eyes narrowing on the two of them. “Care to explain that?”

“That was me getting back at your husband,” Rori explained. “A joke really. I am sorry. If I’d been a bit more . . . well, if I’d given you the time of day, as it were, we might not be here now. Or if I’d just answered it and passed the phone on like a normal person.” Rori shifted. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry.”

Ella took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter, does it? Bless your heart.”

Rori laughed outright. “I like you. You say the nicest thing, yet it sounds so ‘fuck you.’”

Ella ignored that, knowing Rori was right. She looked at Quin. “At least you weren’t actually screwing someone.”

Quinlan jerked. “Wait, you mean . . . you thought . . .”

“Let’s go,” she told him, and to Rori, “Thanks for all your help here. Seriously. You ready, Quin?”

“No, but let’s go. Apparently we have a few other things to discuss, like what loyalty means. Vows, that sort of thing.”

Ella sighed and pulled her jacket to her. She was always cold. They walked through the hotel’s corridors and down through the lobby. The sunlight was brighter than she’d been expecting.

“Here.” Quin stopped her and pulled a pair of shades from his pocket. “Forgot to give you these.”

“Do you know where we are going?” she asked him.

“Rental has GPS. We’ll get there just fine,” he said, settling the shades on her face and tucking her hair behind her ears. “I can’t get over your hair,” he muttered.

“Huh?”

“Your hair. I picture you the way I remember you. Wild, funky hair, either pale blue or purple. This dull dark brown with hints of red just isn’t you to me.” He frowned. “Sorry, it’s your hair. If you like it plain, I’ll get used to it. And either way, you’re still beautiful.”

She laughed, surprising herself, and grinned at him. “My hair? You miss my blue hair?”

“With the pink tips, or purple.”

She shook her head and looked around. “Well, maybe we can stop on the way home and I can take care of that. I’d planned to go pink for the baby.”

He sighed again and raked a hand through his hair. “Look, I thought about not telling you, but I don’t think you’d want any surprises right now, but please don’t freak.”

She stilled, felt her muscles tightening.

Mr. Brasher was leaning against the car. Quin stopped. “I can get her to the hospital, thank you,” he told the man, a slight edge to his voice.

Mr. Brasher shrugged.

“Why are you here?”

“I was asked,” he only said.

“My wife and I want some time alone,” he said, opening the passenger door of the silver SUV and helping her in. “Tell my brother we don’t need a babysitter.”

Mr. Brasher looked from one to the other. “That’s what I told him you’d say. See ya.” They watched him stride across the parking lot and back into the hotel.

Quin drove like he did everything else, confident and alert. When they stopped at a red light she asked, “What do you have to tell me?”

“Oh, sorry. My parents are flying in today. They’ll probably be there when we get back from the hospital.”

“What? You just now mention this?” Oh my God. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing.

He reached over and laced their fingers. “They’ll love you.”

“Oh, sure. I broke their baby boy’s heart after I married him in Vegas after we only knew each other for a couple of days. Then I don’t tell him I’m pregnant, and on top of all that someone took the baby. I’m sure they’ll just love my ass. At least my hair isn’t pink,” she muttered. “When are they going to be here?”

He squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb over the outside of hers. “Later today. Not sure what time. They wanted to come out much earlier, but I asked them to wait until we knew what all was going on.”

“They are not going to approve of me.”

He cut her a look from the corner of his eyes. “They don’t have to approve of you. You’re my wife. That’s all that matters.” He brought their joined hands up and kissed her knuckles. “You’re worrying too much about them. They’ll be fine. Granted, they may wonder and they’ll probably think we’re both stupid for walking away from a marriage. My parents are one of those solidly old-fashioned couples who believe in lifelong marriages, as long as everyone is happy and safe. But they also think you can work together and become happier.”

“Really?”

“Really, not that they’ve ever said as much, that’s just who they are. They don’t think anyone should marry lightly.”

“Mark against me there.”

He shook his head. “Stop looking at faults. It’ll all be fine. They’ll all be so pissed I didn’t say anything that it’ll eclipse any wrong you could have done.”

“Oh, you mean like not telling you you were going to be a father?” She raised her brow at him. “Uh-huh. Right. Bless your heart, you just keep telling yourself that.”

He pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and found them a parking spot pretty close to the main doors. “I would drop you off, but I don’t want you waiting alone.”

“This is fine.”

She started to reach for the door handle, but his hand on hers stopped her.

“Ella. My parents are . . . involved in their sons’ lives, but only to a point. All of us have married where we wanted to, who we wanted to, when we wanted to. Mom’s just bent because all the weddings were either rushed or hushed, as she said, and she never got to plan a big wedding.”

“I don’t even remember our wedding,” she said. “Not really. I remember an Elvis. Which reminds me, what the hell did we drink?”

He thought back and remembered the bright green liquor in Vegas. “Absinthe, maybe. I think. I don’t know. I only know I haven’t drank since then.”

“Me either. Well, the wine we had at the house in New Orleans, but that’s it.”

His gaze held hers. “So no worrying about Mom and Pops. They will be nice to you or they can get back on the damn plane and go home.”

“Thank you for that, but you can’t send them home. They’re older and trips are harder on them than someone younger. Not to mention that if they raised such wonderful sons, they’d want to be there for one of you if you were in trouble. And this is their grandchild.”

Her child, her daughter, had grandparents. A whole involved extended family.

“What?” he asked her.

“I just realized she has grandparents, and uncles and aunts.” Why had she never thought of that before? Ian had mentioned kids. “Cousins?”

He smiled at her. “I know. Girl’s gonna be spoiled rotten in no time when we get her back. Which reminds me, what did you name her?”

She just sat there. Her daughter wasn’t alone. It wasn’t just the two of them.

“What? What are you thinking, what put that look on your face?”

“It was just my mom and me growing up, you know? I don’t even know if Mom had siblings, she never said. I know I didn’t have grandparents, or she said I didn’t. I just . . . for the last few months, it’s just been me and the baby. I kept thinking of you too, and it’s always been either the two of us or the three of us in my mind. I never saw beyond that.” She smiled at him. “She has grandparents. And aunts and uncles who will drop everything to help find her.”

He grinned back, a dimple winking from his right cheek. “Yes, she does. And enough uncles I won’t have to worry about being the only one not letting her date.”

She laughed. “Feels weird. Good, surprising, but weird too.”

He leaned over and brushed his lips over her cheek quickly. “Get used to it, babe.”

Quin climbed out of the car and hurried around the hood, opening her door and helping her out.