Rock Me Deeper (Licks of Leather #5) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,52

for the laughter to die down before continuing. “To answer your question, Ross, yes. As some of you know, our lawyer, Reed Landes, and LA District Attorney Janet Howard have been working together as the situation with Zattman unfolds. Face-recognition software has confirmed that he boarded a flight from LA to Springfield, Missouri, two hours after bonding out of jail. We know he rented a car, and the vehicle the police discovered on the side of the road near Caris’s house matches the VIN number of Zattman’s rental.”

“How do you know he rented it and not someone else?” Ozzy asked.

“Don’t ask.” Quinn frowned.

“I have a question,” Walter said, lifting a finger in the air. “I don’t think it’s any secret that…how should I put this…”

“Just spit it out, Dad,” Darren encouraged.

“Okay, that maybe some unlawful activity took place to get us to this point. Not that I’m judging. The monster definitely needs to be locked up or preferably put down, but what assurance is there that Zattman won’t try to turn the tables and press charges against Darren and the other boys?”

Quinn nodded. “The LA district attorney cannot and will not step outside the scope of the law; however, it’s my understanding their office has been investigating accusations about Zattman for years. They simply lacked tangible proof to file charges. The anonymous, and I stress the word anonymous, delivery of photos their office received has provided that proof. Zattman can scream setup all he wants, but there isn’t a shred of evidence, aside from the lone witness sitting in this room, that the boys were even near the bastard’s house that night.”

All eyes turned my way. I knew what they were thinking… Will she turn on us and stab us in the back? Butterflies dipped and swooped in my stomach. My mouth felt as dry as the Mohave Desert.

Dredging up all the courage I could muster, I feigned wide-eyed innocence. “I didn’t see a thing that night. When I finally broke through those ropes, I kicked in the door and ran for my life.”

The whole room erupted in laughter and cheers. Syd hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head. “That a girl.”

“Settle down, settle down,” Quinn said, still chuckling. “Unfortunately, the son of a bitch has vanished into thin air. But we hope to get a ping on his location soon. He can’t walk back to LA or—”

“Denton,” Ross grumbled.

“No, but since he now knows there’s a connection between Caris and Syd, we’ll be staying here enjoying a big, magnificent slumber party until that sick sack of shite is behind bars again.”

“I like slumber parties, especially with Sofia.” Burk wagged his brows.

“You just like sex,” she countered dryly, then grinned.

“Don’t we all?” Mia smirked.

“Okay, okay.” Quinn raised his hands. “One more item to pass along before we go to our rooms for sex or…snoring. In the morning, I’ll be hiring security companies to watch your homes. Do any of you have live-in housekeepers, pet sitters, or anyone who comes and goes while you’re on tour?”

“I do,” Ross spoke up. “My housekeeper, Angie, and my driver, Bernie, but—”

“What the fuck you need a driver for? To take you to the gym?” Burk chided.

“No, the tattoo parlor,” Ross quipped with a snide smile before addressing Quinn again. “I sent them on a little vacation this morning. Told them I’d call when it was safe to come home.”

“Good. Anyone else?”

When no one spoke up, Quinn nodded. “I’d like to extend a big thank-you to Susan and Gail, who’ve offered to help Lucia prepare meals. Feeding an army this size is going to take a lot of hands. We’ll put together a rotating clean-up schedule in the morning. That’s all I got. Anyone have any questions?”

“What’s the press saying?” Syd asked. “I’ve purposely been avoiding my phone.”

“Nothing yet,” Quinn replied. “But we all know that will change real soon. Ava was tight lipped when she canceled your concerts earlier today but promised a press release soon. Tonight, or tomorrow, we’ll whip up some bullshit story.”

“Not that I’ve got a hard on to sit around singing ‘Kumbaya’ and shit.” Syd smirked. “But are we gonna have these ring-around-the-campfire coffee-table updates each night?”

“Definitely.”

“Good. I don’t want any secrets being kept. We’re all in this together.”

“Till the end, brother. Till the end.” Burk raised a fist in the air.

Everyone raised theirs as well, and I couldn’t help but smile and join them.

Quinn strolled to a bar stocked with every kind of liquor imaginable, sitting