time Quinn was done chewing me out for putting you in danger, Soph had a location. Now I’m here.”
“Soph.” Will lets his hands drop while his sluggish brain works through the details. “The dancer?”
“She’s not just a dancer. She’s a fucking genius, a criminal mastermind, and she wants Quinn on her payroll.”
“Dancing payroll?” Will growls. “Or the mastermind thing?”
I chuckle. “I suspect there will always be a little overlap. Soph wants a dancer, she knows I want Quinn, and she knows you guys need help. Put it all together, and Soph is in heaven while she’s tracking folks and hacking shit she shouldn’t be hacking. She’s the one who knew that the car Quinn was sliding into last night was McGrady’s, and she knew after hacking some shit for twenty seconds. She’s the one who searched the internet for that dress. She’s the one who tracked Quinn’s call and brought me right to your door. And she’ll be the one who buries McGrady, so long as you play ball and allow her to help you.”
“And in payment?” Will moves across the living room and snatches up the Ellie Solomon dance bag. “What does Sophia want in payment when this is all done?”
“It’s not like that.”
I reach forward and scoop my hands under Quinn’s weight when Will makes his way to the front door. We’ve already discussed this. We’ve already made plans.
My shoulder burns, and Quinn whimpers in her unconscious state, but I follow him to the door and meet his eyes. “Soph is all about family. She’s about fairness, and she loathes men like Evan McGrady. Having Soph do you a favor isn’t like having McGrady do you a favor. He’ll want blood. She just wants to be able to say she’s smarter than you. Plus, she wants her dancer. She’ll get her own twofer out of this, but her twofer means Quinn will be safe, and soon, you’ll be free. There are no strings.” I meet his gaze and nod. “You have my word.”
“And in the meantime?” He looks down at Quinn.
He genuinely looks like he’s in mourning. He’s saying goodbye to family, and he’s not sure when he’ll ever see her again.
If ever.
“In the meantime,” I sigh, “you talk to Soph. She has your number, she has your location. She’s gonna help you deal with McGrady, and when it’s done, you can come home and get your sister.”
“And you’re gonna keep her safe, right? I know I was the one who… I know I said…” He draws a shuddering breath. “Fuck, Kincaid. You have no clue how hard this is for me.”
His eyes leave his sister and come to mine. “My entire life has been about protecting her. Every moment from the second I realized my mom was pregnant, every moment from the time I found her laying in her own vomit on the bathroom floor, overdosed, but with that baby in her belly…” He shakes his head. “Every single moment of my life has been about making my sister safe. But now I’m handing her over, and I just…” His voice breaks, and we both look away when he reaches up to swipe a hand under his eye. “It’s like tearing a limb off.”
“I’ll keep her safe. I swear I will. I’m taking her home, locking her up in my house, and then we’re gonna wait it out. Soph will help you with McGrady and Nate. She’ll prove your innocence, and when it’s all done and you come to us, I have a spare room in my home for you. For as long as you need, for as long as it takes for you and Quinn to decide your next move, you have a home and safety. No strings attached.”
“None?” He lifts a questioning brow. “So, you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart, and not because you want my sister to choose you?”
“They’re separate things. And if she doesn’t choose me, well…” I shrug and ignore the twinge of pain that nicks my heart. “Then I’ll ask her to reconsider. But if she doesn’t, I’m not gonna murder her and dispose of her body.”
“Unlike McGrady.”
Our gazes meet for a moment. A mutual understanding.
Will is being forced to choose which man he sends his baby with. Which one to trust. When, for twenty-three years, he’s never shared her before.
“I’ll do right by her. I swear.”
“You’re probably gonna want to stop by a sporting goods store and buy a tranquilizer gun. Because when she wakes…”
I bark