Page 7 of The Condemned (Echoes from the Past #6)

FOUR

London, England

Alex’s round blue eyes glowed with love as Quinn lifted him out of his cot and cradled him against her shoulder.

His warm little body seemed to have grown a little heavier since she left two days ago.

He reached up and grabbed a fistful of hair, pulling her face closer to his.

He pressed his nose into her cheek and licked her, making her laugh.

“I missed you too, little man,” she whispered in his shell-like ear. “I hate leaving you, even for an hour.” Alex continued to flick his tongue over her cheek. “Oh, you’re hungry. And I thought you were trying to give me a kiss.”

Quinn settled on the bed and pulled up her top, and not a moment too soon.

Alex latched on immediately, sucking as if he hadn’t been fed in days.

Quinn cradled his head in her palm and closed her eyes.

The flat was quiet, the noises from outside muffled by the stealthy wind.

Gabe and Emma had gone out to walk Rufus, a responsibility Emma took very seriously.

The puppy slept at the foot of her bed, and she ran to her room to greet him the moment she returned from school.

Quinn looked around the lounge. Evidence of their impending move was all around her.

There were packing boxes in the corner, and the flat was starting to get that forlorn look places got when the things that turn a house into a home were packed away.

At any other time, she’d be thrilled to be on the verge of a new adventure, but now all she could think of was Jo.

When she told Gabe about Rob Malone’s phone call, he’d sided with Rhys, telling her she was overreacting and winding herself up.

Perhaps it was silly to panic based on such flimsy evidence, but she couldn’t shake this feeling of dread.

Who, in this day and age, dropped off the face of the earth for several months?

Only a person who intentionally wanted to disappear or a person who had no access to civilization.

She couldn’t imagine Jo would want to disappear, so the only explanation that made sense was that she was someplace without access to a phone or a computer.

Surely someone would know if Jo had been kidnapped by insurgents.

One group or another usually claimed responsibility for an attack on the press, using the opportunity to get into the news and spread their message of terror.

Quinn had just finished nursing Alex when she heard the key in the lock and Rufus’s joyful yelping as he dashed toward the kitchen, paws padding on the tile floor.

“We’re back,” Gabe called out.

“Mum, can we have pizza for dinner?” Emma asked as she pulled off her mittens and scarf. “I’m hungry.”

“It’s fine with me,” Quinn replied, in no mood to cook.

She was happy to be back home with her family, but still out of sorts.

Between the gruesome find in the cave and Rhys’s news, she felt emotionally depleted.

She wasn’t even hungry. She’d be happy to crawl into bed, turn out the lights, and slip into oblivion until morning.

“Are you all right?” Gabe asked as he lifted Alex out of her arms. Alex let out a squeal of protest but then seemed to change his mind. He rested his cheek against Gabe’s shoulder as his eyelids drooped.

Quinn nodded. She’d already told Gabe everything. “I’ll order the pizza.”

After placing the call, Quinn grabbed an empty packing box and went into Emma’s room.

Emma was sitting on the floor, Rufus curled up on the rug next to her.

They looked content together. “What do you say we start packing some of your things? We can get at least one box finished before the pizza comes,” Quinn suggested. “Let’s put away your books first. ”

“What will you read to me before I go to sleep?” Emma asked, practical as ever.

“Why don’t you leave out the storybook Father Christmas brought you and pack up the rest.”

“All right.” Emma stood and began haphazardly placing books into the box. Quinn organized them into neat stacks to make more room. The box was only half full by the time all the books had been packed.

Emma gazed around the room. “I don’t want to take those,” she said, jutting her chin toward a pile of toys in her play bin.

“I thought you liked them.”

“I did before, but not anymore. Maybe you can give them away. Alex won’t want them. They are for girls.”

“I’ll donate them to charity,” Quinn replied, wondering what had brought on Emma’s sullen mood. She’d pack away the toys and take them to the new house, in case Emma changed her mind.

“Can I decorate my new room?” Emma asked as she tossed several stuffed animals into the box.

“Of course. Do you have some ideas?” Quinn hadn’t been giving Emma enough attention these past few weeks, so maybe decorating together would help strengthen their bond.

“I don’t want pink anymore.”

“All right. What color would you like?”

“Something more mature.”

“Mature?”

“I’m not a baby anymore, Mum. I’ll be six in the summer. ”

Quinn tried to suppress a smile. No, Emma certainly wasn’t a baby. She was changing so quickly, they could barely keep up. “Do you have a preference, or would you like to look at some decorating magazines?”

“I know what I want,” Emma announced. “I want to paint the room lavender, get new bedlinens to match, and get some fairy lights to string above my bed. I also want new pictures to hang on the wall. These are babyish.”

“All right, I think that sounds reasonable. What would you like a picture of?”

“Harry Styles,” Emma said.

“Harry Styles?”

“From One Direction. He’s so hot.”

Quinn gaped at the little girl. What did a five-year-old know about being hot? But then again, this was a different generation. When Quinn was five, all she’d wanted was a pram for her doll and some new coloring books.

“Don’t you think he’s hot?” Emma persisted.

“Eh, well, I don’t know. I haven’t given him much thought.”

Emma gave her a look that said everything from you’re so old to you wouldn’t possibly understand .

She picked up Mr. Rabbit, who’d been sitting on top of her bookshelf, and looked at him thoughtfully.

Until a few months ago, Mr. Rabbit had been her favorite toy, the one she reached for when she needed comfort, but he’d been displaced by her American Girl doll, a gift from Seth.

The doll resembled Emma, and she had called it Emme in honor of herself.

“Would you like to take Mr. Rabbit to the new house?” Quinn asked carefully .

Emma shrugged. “I suppose I’d better take him. You know, in case Alex wants to play with him once he’s old enough. When’s he going to start doing things?” Emma whined as she stowed the rabbit in the box.

“What kind of things?”

“You know—walking, talking, playing games with me.”

“Emma, he’s only three months old. It’s too soon, love. He’ll start saying words and trying to walk by the time he turns one.”

“That’s so long from now.”

“You can’t rush these things.”

“When, when will he start eating formula like normal babies? He’s always attached to your boobs. You never do girl stuff with me. It’s always, ‘I have to nurse Alex,’” Emma complained, mimicking Quinn’s voice.

Quinn got off the bed and sat down on the floor next to Emma.

She pulled Emma into an embrace, and although Emma resisted at first, she finally melted into Quinn, ready to surrender her anger.

“I’m sorry you feel neglected, Em. Daddy and I are trying our best to give you both equal time, but Alex needs me right now. I’m his only source of nourishment.”

“I need you too.”

“How about we have a girls’ day out this Saturday? Would you like that?”

“A real day out, or a ‘Hey, let’s pack your books together’ kind of day?”

“A real day out. We can do whatever you like.”

“I’ll think about it,” Emma replied, but Quinn felt her relenting .

“Oh, the pizza is here. That was quick,” Quinn said when the doorbell rang. She sprang to her feet, buzzed up the delivery man without checking the security screen, and went to grab her purse.

“You’re not the pizza guy,” Quinn observed when she opened the door and saw Rhys standing in the corridor.

“I’m sorry to come unannounced. Guess I should have brought pizza as a peace offering.”

“Why would you need a peace offering?” Quinn asked as she stepped aside to let him in.

“Because I have news you are not going to like.”

Quinn led Rhys into the lounge and invited him to sit down. Rhys sat, but looked self-conscious. He hadn’t even removed his coat, which was a sure sign he planned to bolt as soon as he delivered his news.

“Rhys, good to see you. Will you join us for dinner?” Gabe asked as he came into the room. “Alex is asleep,” he said in answer to Quinn’s unspoken question.

“Thank you, but I only came by for a few minutes. I’m sorry. This is obviously not a good time.”

“Rhys, please, just tell me,” Quinn pleaded. Her stomach was in knots and her head was beginning to hurt.

Rhys nodded. “I had a call from Rob Malone. After our conversation the other day, he was concerned, so he went round to the Mustafa Hotel, where Jo had been staying.”

“And?” Quinn asked, her insides quivering.

“He spoke to the manager. The manager was reluctant to talk to him but finally admitted that Jo went out one morning and never returned. After a week, they collected her belongings, put them into storage, and gave away her room. He wouldn’t allow Rob to see her things. ”

“So, a guest at the hotel went out and never returned, and the manager didn’t think to alert anyone?” Quinn cried.

“Quinn, Kabul is not London. The locals don’t want to get involved, especially when it comes to foreigners.”

“So, now you believe me,” Quinn exclaimed, looking from Gabe to Rhys. “Something is wrong. She’s missing. I knew it.” Quinn sank down on the sofa as tears of frustration spilled down her cheeks. “What can I do?” she wailed. “How can I help her?”

“Quinn—” Gabe began, but the doorbell interrupted him.

“That’s my cue to leave,” Rhys said as he stood. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Quinn, but I thought you’d want to know. Ring me tomorrow.”

Gabe grabbed money from Quinn’s purse and went to pay for the pizza, leaving Quinn to sit on the sofa, staring into space. She didn’t want Emma to see her crying, so she wiped her streaming eyes and plastered a phony smile on her face.

“Emma, dinner,” she called out and trudged into the kitchen.