N. Walters - Quinn's Quest

Bethany still couldn’t quite wrap her head around that one, but she was trying to understand it. She hoped Quinn had answers for her.

“Yeah.” The voice was low and gruff and masculine. Every cell in Bethany’s body reacted to the sound. The fine hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her nipples contracted. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Who is this?” The voice was more demanding now, all trace of sleepiness gone.

Bethany forced herself to speak. “Is this Quinn Lawton?”

“Who wants to know?” She almost hung up on him. His impatience and arrogance bled through the phone line. But she’d promised her friend.

“Do you have a sister named Chrissten?”

“Where is she? Who are you? Where are you?”

Bethany was so startled by the angry outburst she dropped the receiver. She could hear Quinn yelling at her through the line. She grabbed the phone and hung up, panting hard for breath. He was one scary man.

She sat there for about thirty seconds before she grabbed the phone and punched in the number again.

“Hello. Are you there?” he demanded.

“I’m here.” This was for Chrissten, she reminded herself. And for yourself , a little voice in the back of her head said. You want to know more about who you are. What you are .

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” His low tones made her shiver and she wasn’t sure she believed him. Even his apology was short. A voice in the background was urging him to stay calm. She recognized it as the man who’d originally answered the phone. She was beginning to wish she’d talked to him instead.

“Umm, I need to talk to you about your sister.” She had to do this face-to-face. This wasn’t something you talked about over the phone. “Where are you?”

“I’m in Chicago. Where are you?”

Bethany was shocked to find out that help was close at hand. She hadn’t expected that, but would take it as a good sign that maybe her luck was changing. “Where in Chicago? I want to meet you.”

“Tell me about my sister.” His frustration was palpable and she almost blurted out everything she knew. But she had to meet him in person. She’d promised Chrissten she’d get help and that meant more than simply making a phone call. Plus, she was curious about him, about what he was. What she was.

“Where shall I meet you?” Bethany could be just as stubborn as he was.

“There’s a bar in Wicker Park. It’s called Haven. Meet me there.”

“When?” Bethany glanced at the clock over Margaret’s desk. It was half past four in the morning.

“Now. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“I don’t have any money to pay for a cab.” It was demoralizing to admit she needed him to pay for her to get there. She couldn’t walk, as she had no idea where she was going. Even if she wanted to take public transit she still had no idea where to find this particular bar.

“Just get here. I’ll take care of the cab fare.”

She sucked in a breath and said, “Okay,” as she exhaled. The quicker she did this the better for her peace of mind.

“What’s your name?” The urgency in his tone brought home just how desperate he was for news of his sister.

“Bethany. My name is Bethany. As of less than a day ago your sister was alive. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” As she hung up the phone she knew she was no longer alone.

“I don’t know what kind of mess you’re involved in, Bethany, but you be careful, you hear me.” Margaret walked behind her desk and set down her mug of tea. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. She opened her desk drawer, lifted out a small metal box and drew out two twenty-dollar bills.

“I can’t take that.” Bethany held her hands in front of her as if to ward off Margaret’s kindness. “You’ve already done enough.”

“Child, you don’t want to be out in the world without some money in your pocket.” Margaret walked around the desk and put the bills in Bethany’s hands, curling her fingers around it. “It’s not much, but it should get you where you’re going. You come back if you need to. You hear me?”

Bethany had been alone since her mother died. Those years had been hard and cold and lonely. Add the kidnapping and the uncertainty of her life, and it was little wonder Margaret’s kindness brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you.”

Margaret wrapped her arms around Bethany and hugged her. The older woman smelled like cinnamon, like home. It felt good and helped ground her. Bethany drew in a breathe and pulled herself together.

“You do what you got to do,” Margaret told her. “But remember, you’ve got a place here if you need one.”

Bethany swiped at her eyes and nodded, touched by the sincere offer. “I appreciate it.” Not that she’d be coming back. She didn’t want to bring any trouble to the shelter or to this amazing woman. “I need to call a cab.”

Quinn paced back and forth across the floor of the bar, stopping to peer out the window every few seconds.

“Will you relax? You’re making me dizzy.”

Quinn whirled around to face his brother, who’d joined him downstairs. “How can I? This woman has seen Chris.” He still couldn’t believe the early morning call. Craig had kept Quinn’s old cell phone number just in case Chrissten ever tried to call home. It had been a long shot and it had finally paid off. It hadn’t been Chrissten who’d called, but it was someone who claimed to have seen her. This was the closest he’d been to his twin in the long, bleak months since her disappearance.

“It’s crazy to get a call like this on the same night we talk to Damek.” Craig took off his glasses and cleaned the glass lenses on the tail of his shirt. “You think the vampire had anything to do with it?”

Quinn shook his head. “Not enough time. This is—” Quinn broke off, not quite knowing how to put his thoughts into words. Every muscle in his body was coiled and ready for action. All he needed was a direction to focus on. This woman, Bethany, had information about his sister. The first news after all this time. He tried not to get his hopes up too high but it was impossible not to. Any news was better than the nightmare of not knowing.

His heart was racing and his palms were clammy. Chris was alive. He’d known it in his heart, but having tangible proof had given him a renewed sense of hope.

Of course, the rest of the pack had stirred when they’d heard the ringing phone. Any middle-of-the-night call was usually cause for concern. Isaiah had been the one to come and ask them what had happened. They were all cautiously optimistic. They were also on guard just in case this was some kind of trap.

The entire pack was upstairs, awake and ready to help. They’d agreed to stay out of sight only because, if this was on the up and up, they didn’t want to frighten away this woman, whoever she was.

Quinn wasn’t about to let her go. Not if she knew where Chris was. He’d keep her chained to his side if he had to. He wasn’t about to lose his only link to his twin.

A cab pulled up in front of Haven. Quinn practically ripped the door off the hinges in his haste to get to the woman in the vehicle. She handed the driver some money and climbed out of the cab. It pulled away, leaving them staring at one another.

She was slender with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing jeans, canvas sneakers and a gray fleece. She wasn’t beautiful, not in the classical sense. But with her heart-shaped face and delicate features she was lovely. She was also afraid. He could smell her fear.

Quinn took another deep breath and his heart stopped. A second later it started pounding to a deep, primal rhythm. Mine . His wolf howled inside him as her sweet, womanly scent filled his nostrils, making his body harden.