Summer Of My Secret Angel (4 page)

“Please, take me to prison instead.” My
request came out dry and emotionless. Dead earnest.

From above, Quinn glared daggers at me. I
cut a glance at him, but then studied Abe’s old eyes again,
awaiting his final adjudication with an empty pit in my stomach
growing fast.

“I do believe you graduated from high school
last spring?”

Not knowing what Abe’s question could have
to do with my punishment, I nodded. My marks in math had been
lousy, but at least I did it.

“And currently you aren’t taking any summer
classes in Miss Mulligan’s Children’s Home?”

“No.”

“Then you are going to live with your
family.” The bang of his little wooden hammer on the small round
plate sealed the matter. “Now get out of my courtroom and don’t
come back.”

I was so screwed.

When they started making plans over my head,
and voices mixed to a painful blur, Quinn let me wait outside the
room. I had to promise not to run off or pick a fight with another
officer before he would even open the door for me. I restrained
myself from giving him the finger and slipped out.

Elbows propped on my bent knees, I sat on
the floor in the hallway with my back resting against the windowed
wall. The chain of the cuffs rattled mockingly. With them on, I
wouldn’t get far on an escape for fresh air. I might as well
surrender to my horrendous fate.

Utterly miserable and confused about my new
future, and no less annoyed by the glances of passing officials, my
head dipped back, my gaze focusing on the blank ceiling. Out of
habit, when I was by myself—and stuck knee-deep in shit—I started
humming a song I didn’t know the name of. It always had a strangely
soothing effect on me. Odds were I had made up the melody myself
over the years. But I’d hummed, whistled or tapped the rhythm with
my fingers so often that the tune wouldn’t get out of my head.

The door opening opposite me didn’t disrupt
my low singing. But when my mother’s blond friend came out and
leaned one shoulder casually against the column in the middle of
the hallway, the hum died in my throat.

“Hi,” he said with a compassionate look that
made me once again wish the traitor, Quinn, had taken off those
damn handcuffs so I wouldn’t look like such a complete idiot.

Lips pressed together, my fingers waggled in
a feeble greeting. The mere sight of this man sent a quiver of
excitement to my stomach.

“That was quite an
interesting…
situation
in there.”

With an evil grin, I hoped to send the
message
Mind your own crap, buddy
. Out loud, I said sweetly,
“Glad you enjoyed the show.”

“I didn’t really.” He wrinkled his nose.
“Getting involved with Laurel and Hardy in there wasn’t your best
idea. Even a smart girl like you might get hurt in a fight with
those two.”

Yeah, sure.
My eyes narrowed to
slits. But his words warmed my heart in an unfamiliar way.

The young man nodded his chin at my tied
hands. “They look a little uncomfortable.”

And they bloody well were, but I shrugged it
off like it was nothing unusual. “The latest fashion. You heard the
judge, I wear them quite often.”

A teasing smile that spiked my blood
pressure played around his lips. “Shall we take them off?” he
said.

He had to be kidding. “Unless you’ve got
teeth like a hacksaw, I don’t see how that would work.”

He crossed the hall to me, pulling a
key-ring from his pocket. He squatted, leveled his eyes with mine,
and shook the keys in front of my face. The friendly jingle of
metal filled the high hallway.

My mouth fell open. “Whom did you get those
from?”

“Chief Madison.”

“You stole them from Quinn?” I pulled my
hands out of his reach.

“Of course not.” The blond god gave me a
pointed look. “I asked for them.”

Why would this guy ask my officer friend to
release me? Frowning, I concentrated on the safety pin in my jeans.
“Quinn wouldn’t free me when I asked him to.”

His intense blue eyes locked with mine. “I
had to solemnly swear to keep an eye on you. Now hold still.” Cool
fingers curled around my wrist to steady my hand while he unlocked
the first cuff. Sparks tingled on my skin, my hand trembled
slightly.

Why would he give his word to an officer,
just to free me? Why even care? He’d do well to stay behind that
door, holding my horrible mother’s hand instead of setting mine
free. With a click, the other cuff came off. I flexed my hands and
rubbed my burning wrists. The shackles had left bright red lines on
my skin.

“Better?” He tilted his head and arched one
beautiful brow.

My head bobbed, but I found no breath to
answer.

“Okay then.” He used my knees to push
himself up and stretched to his full height.

He probably expected my gratitude following
his selflessness. My gaze focused on the ripped hems of his jeans,
my lips remained sealed.

When he turned on his heel and marched off
to the left, I glanced up. “And now you’re going where?” The words
shot out before I could stop myself.

“Bathroom break.” His arched brows dared me
to object.

My lower lip threatened to pop from between
my teeth as I chewed on it.
Don’t speak
!
“But you’re
supposed to keep an eye on me.”

After studying me for a couple of seconds,
his expression softened even more. “You’re not going to get me into
trouble.”

A balloon of warmth exploded in my chest. I
let him take another stride away from me. Two. Three. Four. “How
can you be so sure?”
Shut the hell up, Jona.
“According to
everything you know about me, I’ll probably be gone when you get
back.”

A shrug of one shoulder and his beguiling
smile struck me silent. “I trust you.” A moment later he
disappeared around the corner.

My chin hit my chest.

Trust me, my arse
!
He must be
nuts if he thought I could be trusted. With a snort, I rose from
the linoleum floor and strode toward the exit. But I bounced into a
solid wall of bad conscience.

“Dammit.” I kicked the real wall to my
right. The rubber sole of my boot left a black mark on the white
surface. I shouldn’t even have had to think about it, so why in the
world did I hesitate? And for a stranger?

The exit had never looked better, and yet
invisible shackles prevented any further step in its direction.
Breathing became increasingly harder, and anger burned like a flame
through me. I didn’t understand this stranger’s hold over me. I
shouldn’t have wasted another thought on him. After all, I hadn’t
asked him to remove the handcuffs.

But he took them off anyway. And he trusted
me.

A growl rumbled out of my throat. I shot an
angry glance heavenward and raked my clawed fingers through my
hair. With a helpless sigh, I returned to the spot where he’d found
me. Standing with my back against the column and arms crossed
tightly over my chest, I awaited his return.

Only seconds later, footfalls announced his
approach in the hall behind my back. The steps slowed, and a hardly
audible sigh of dismay drifted around the column to me. I grinned
to myself, savoring this sweet, however short moment of victory.
Then I shoved away from the post.

Relief washed over his face at the sight of
me, the corners of his mouth tilting up. “It’s good to see you
again.”

And it’s pretty good to look at
your
beautiful face, too.
But I steeled my expression and ground
my teeth. I spun on my heel and trudged back toward Abe’s office,
intending to hire Quinn as my bodyguard to keep this goddamn Good
Samaritan at arm’s length.

“Damn you to hell,” I muttered as I
went.

He laughed behind me. “Oh joy.”

I zipped my backpack shut over my three
t-shirts, my only other pair of trousers, and the few precious
books I owned. The sun was setting over the low rooftops outside my
window. This would be my last night in an institution I had called
home for over twelve years.

Bloody old Abe should have sent me to
prison. Could hardly be worse than the orphanage. But, to banish me
from the country and condemn me to live in the same house as my
mother was unspeakable cruelty.

“It’s not even two months,” Quinn had said
after the hearing. “You’re a tough girl, you’ll survive.”

Actually, he was the only person I was going
to miss.

A knock rattled the door. That would be him.
The judge and Miss Mulligan had thought it a good idea that I spend
an evening with my mother and her lover before attempting a journey
to a foreign country with them. Charlene had beamed while her
friend covered his smirk with a cough. Quinn accompanying me
tonight was the one condition on which I had agreed to go.

I pulled the door open and stared. For at
least three whole seconds. Quinn in casual wear. Without his
uniform, he looked even younger, and his dark gray t-shirt and
bleached jeans fit him perfectly.

My black zip-up sweatshirt and ripped jeans
suddenly didn’t seem like such a nice thing to wear anymore. Maybe
I shouldn’t have removed the safety pin from the hole in the
knee.

Quinn offered me his elbow. “Are you ready,
kiddo?”

“Ready to face the dragon and get roasted?
Never. Let’s go.” I looped my arm through his and pulled the door
closed behind me.

“It can’t be all bad.”

“You have no idea.”

Downstairs, Quinn held the door open for me
and led me to his black BMW parked around the block. We both
climbed in, and he pulled away from the curb. After a while of
staring silently out the window, my train of thought broke with
Quinn’s not-so-subtle cough. I tilted my head his way.

He briefly glanced at me then faced forward
again. “You know, I was quite surprised to see your mother today.
Didn’t you say she died in a car crash when you were little?”

“If only.” Arms folded over my chest, I
concentrated on the car in front of us, wishing Quinn would crash
into it at the next intersection. That would give us an excuse not
to show up.

We passed the intersection without incident.
Damn Quinn for being a safe driver.

I needed to come up with a strategy. Fast.
Before we arrived at the pub and there was no way for me to escape
confronting Charlene. When the uncomfortable buzz in my stomach
increased, I cleared my throat and gave Quinn a sweet smile.

His eyes darted back and forth between me
and the windshield. “What is it, Jona?”

I leveraged my best sad puppy look. “Is
there a chance you don’t know the way and we end up in the city
watching a film instead of meeting them?”

He laughed. “Shit, no. Abe would have my
arse for kidnapping you.”

Okay, that was a major fail. Plan B. “Do you
like me, Quinn?”

Head tilted, he placed his palm on my
forearm, squeezing slightly while he steered the car with one hand
for a moment. “Sure, I do.”

“Would you marry me?”

“
What?”
The car jerked a bit, because
he jerked his hand back so fast it bumped against the steering
wheel.

“If you married me, no one could force me to
go back to this morally corrupt woman they call my mother.” I
lifted my chin. “I would be an independent adult then.”
Sort
of.

“Oh, is that it?” A relaxed chuckle rocked
his chest while he steered the car around Kings Cross. “Well, I’m
afraid Bethany wouldn’t like that.”

I frowned, running my fingers up and down
the smooth seatbelt across my chest. “Who’s Bethany?”

“My girlfriend.”

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

He beamed. “It’s a brand new thing.”

It was nice to see my only friend happy
about having a woman. But it was a shame that she spoiled my
brilliant plan B.

Lips pouted, I craved his attention
again.

His eyebrow arched. “What are you thinking
about
now
?”
The question sounded damn close to a
warning. Amazing thing, his intuition, when it came to me.

“You and Beth could adopt me.” Sickly sweet
innocence dripped from my voice.

Quinn waited a second before he covered my
hand with his. “You’re too old to be adopted, sweetie.”

“Yeah. And Bethany wouldn’t be happy with a
brat like me, would she?”

His fingers closed around mine. “I’ve never
seen you like that; you know this.”

My gaze dropped to our joined hands. “Yeah,
I know. Guess that’s why I like you so much. You’re the only one
who ever cared.”

This was the first time in years I’d had an
open conversation with anyone. Honesty usually stood locked
somewhere deep down in the dungeons of my heart. But with Quinn
being close like a brother, that door cracked open. If only a
little.

“Soon you’ll have an entire family to care
for you. And that boy seemed really worried today as well.”

“I don’t see what’s positive about living
with a dragon and her child-lover.”

Because he needed to shift gears, Quinn
withdrew his hand. “Oh, he’s not her lover.”

“How do you know?”

“I had a chat with him. Apparently, he’s
some sort of caretaker. Very nice guy.”

If Quinn said so, I had no reason not to
believe it. But the sudden rush of happiness I felt when he spoke
of the guy was a riddle to me.

“Don’t worry,” he added with a grin. “I only
told him good things about you.”

As if there was anything good to say about
me. That would include my name, and…yeah, that was about it. But
speaking of names. “Did he tell you his name?”

“Yes.”

I waited. Nothing. “And?”

Quinn smirked. “Are you interested in the
lad?”

I poked my elbow into his ribs, which made
him laugh out loud.

“Careful, kiddo. I’m driving.”

“I’m not interested in
him
,” I
snapped. “I’d just like to know who I’ll have to deal with for the
next six weeks.”