Page 101 of Lethal Vengeance

I laugh at the heartfelt plea.

With a broad grin, he places his mouth near my ear. “Good night, Quinn.” The timbre of his voice in my ear makes me shiver.

“Good… night, Sterling,” I reply in a breathless voice.

When he’s gone, I lean back against the cool wall and catch my breath.

43

QUINN

The clock reads two a.m. when I shut the laptop. To my disappointment, the bookstore yielded nothing. It’s kind of surprising, too. Sophia loved reading and spent more time in the library and bookstore than in any other place. Her favorites were romance. She’d get starry-eyed after reading a particularly good book.

My eyes droop, and I scoot down until I’m flat.

Sophia’s standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the small tiara on her head. “How does this look? Is it too much?”

“You look like the princess you always wanted to be,” I reassure her. “Now, if he tries to take you to a hotel room, call me. I’ll come get you. No questions asked, I promise. Boys seem to think prom is a license for sex.”

She rolls her eyes. “Please. Peter Allen knows he’s not getting anything from me. I have no interest in boys. One day, I’m going to meet a man who will sweep me off my feet. He’ll be handsome and rich, of course, but most importantly, he’ll love me more than anyone.”

I snort. “Well, you’d better make sure you get a degree and career in case your Prince Charming doesn’t show up until later.”

She sniffs. “I’m looking for a king, not a prince.”

She twirls and laughs. The image of her laughing rewinds and plays again. She laughs. Rewind. She laughs.

I wake with her laughter ringing in my ears. The room isn’t dark, but the sun isn’t up, either. My phone’s clock displays five thirty a.m. Three and a half hours of sleep. Less than I like to get, but knowing I won’t get any more, I dress and head downstairs. This time, I punch in the code after opening the door.

The run clears the lingering dreams from my head. With a satisfied grunt, I slow to a walk. Four miles is the most my body will do, but it’s better than yesterday.

When I walk in the house, it’s the same as yesterday. Four grumpy men are staring at me from the couch.

I raise my hands. “What? I punched in the alarm code.”

Raider stands and stretches. The black shorts he’s wearing hang dangerously low on his hips. “It’s our fault. We’re light sleepers and not used to hearing anyone in the house. We’ll get used to it.”

He walks over and studies my face. “I don’t like the dark circles under your eyes. If you can’t sleep, ask one of us to stay with you. I can assure you, every one of us would jump at the chance to hold you all night.”

Stunned, I watch him walk up the stairs.

“Damn bastard’s too smooth,” Cruz murmurs in my ear. “He’s also right. It’s killing us to see you try to go through this alone. We have all been there, and we know how hard it is to find your way. Don’t shut us out, Quinn.” Lips graze the top of my head before he follows Raider.

Sterling opens his mouth, but Gabriel’s voice comes over the baby monitor and interrupts whatever he was going to say. With a wry smile, he slips past.

Zane eyes me from the couch. “Want some breakfast?”

My stomach rumbles on cue, making me laugh. “I think so.”

He immediately brightens and claps his hands together. “Eggs, pancakes, French toast?”

“Pancakes,” a small voice behind me says.

I look at Gabriel’s hopeful face. “Definitely pancakes.”

He gives me a serious nod and wiggles his feet.

Sterling sets him down, and he runs over and grabs my legs. When I look down, it’s the past meeting the present. Instead of Gabriel, I see Sophia standing there, her beautiful brown eyes pleading with me to pick her up. I shake my head and back up a step.