Crazy Eights (Stacked Deck #8) - Emilia Finn Page 0,75
out a loud laugh. “Yeah. She’s gonna tear the skin from my bones. I know.”
“She’s going to throw the motherlode of all tantrums. And if you close your eyes for even a moment, she’s gonna run.”
“She’s a street kid who’s been on the run her whole life.” I nod. “I know.”
“Her loyalty for me is strong. It’s like a Stockholm thing. She says I’m her savior and protector. But in the most basic sense, I’m actually her prison guard. Her captor. When she wakes, you won’t be dealing with a regular tantrum. It’s gonna be massive.”
“So guard my loins?”
He scoffs. “If you survive it, call and let me know. Otherwise, I guess she’ll be back here by dinnertime. She’ll do away with you and any evidence, she’ll mail a lock of your hair to your mother, and then she’ll come back here and cook dinner for me.”
“And at seven,” I grit out, “she’ll sneak out for her shift at Zeus’.” I shake my head. “She’s not allowed to make it to that shift, Will. If she does, he’ll know she knows who he is. And at the first hint of suspicion, he’ll dispose of her.”
He swallows and turns away from me. “Yeah. So guard your loins. You don’t have the luxury of letting her get away from you.”
“Don’t worry. I have some stuff in the car Soph sent over. I’ve got it under control. You need to take care of you, and you need to let Soph help you. Because I can give Quinn food, I can give her water, and shelter, and keep her safe. But until you’re back and she knows you’re safe…”
He nods. “She’s gonna make this hard on you. Don’t quit on her, okay?”
“Never.”
“And when she starts hitting, when she gets mean…” His eyes fire with warning. “The first time you hit back, it’s hunting season, and I’m taking you out.”
“I’m not going to hit her. Jesus.” I adjust my hold under her weight and know that if I don’t get her into the car now, my shoulder’s gonna give out. “What’s your real first name?”
He snorts. “You don’t know? I thought Soph knew everything?”
I shake my head. “She’s looking, and we’ve figured out that Quinn’s name is Quinn. But there are no missing person records anywhere. We can’t find you.”
“That’s because we’re dead.” He winks. “No one is gonna search for a couple of kids who died in a house fire.”
He looks to Quinn, and replaces the worry in his eyes with something much more tender. Leaning forward, he presses a kiss to her forehead and hovers for a moment.
Standing tall again, he meets my eyes and lowers his chin. “My birth name was Emmett. But that was my father’s name too, and I don’t know if you know, but we don’t much like our folks.”
“So when this is all done and you’re free, what name will you use?”
He shrugs. “Bubbles got attached to calling me Will, so that’s the one we’re rolling with.”
“What she wants, she gets?”
He smirks. “Almost always. Go.”
He opens the front door and peeks out into the street. When it’s clear and there are no passersby snooping on our business, he leads me out and opens the passenger door of my rental so I can slide Quinn in.
Soph found me a sports SUV, and loaded it up with all sorts of fun shit, including a lifetime supply of sugar. As soon as I slide Quinn in and fasten her seatbelt around her body, I move to the back of the SUV and leave Will with her for just a moment.
He needs time for his goodbye. He needs a last moment of comfort. So I grab supplies, and snatch up the bags Will packed as I go. I toss them in the back, then closing the door, I make my way to the driver’s side and slide in.
Will’s eyes snap to the clanging silver metal I hold in my hand. Then to the bag of gummy worms I toss into the middle console. He only shakes his head, and presses one last kiss to Quinn’s forehead. Then, without another word, he slams the door and bolts back inside the apartment like he can’t bear to watch his sister drive away.
It doesn’t feel right for me to take her away from her home against her wishes. For her to be rendered unconscious, stolen, tricked. None of it feels right, but it’s what needs to be done.