Chapter 11

CHAPTER11

Haven Technologies Building

Florida

“God, I’m going to spank her ass one day,” Nathan said, sighing heavily as he pushed his chair back and headed for the kitchen, needing caffeine to get through this bullshit.

He couldn’t fucking believe this was happening.

He’d had the security upgraded on the first floor, replaced the cameras and started crashing at Bailey’s place so that he could keep an eye on her, but it didn’t fucking help. He thought that he could protect her, but…

He’d fucked up.

“How’s Bailey?” Jess asked, waiting for him with a warm smile and a cup of coffee.

“She’s still a pain in the ass,” Nathan assured her, watching her lips twitch as she took a sip of her coffee.

“That’s probably never going to change,” Jess murmured with a sympathetic wince as he added sugar to his coffee and found himself watching as his sister’s latest pet project stepped off the elevator with a stack of mail in her hands.

He watched as the small, curvy woman swallowed nervously as she took in the busy office, shifted nervously, slowly exhaled, and after a firm nod to herself, made her way across the office. He watched her stare down at the floor as she did her best to avoid running into anyone as she made her way towards his desk and-

“What are you going to do about her?” Jess asked as they watched Pam trip over her own two feet and sent the envelopes in her hands, flying.

“I honestly have no idea,” Nathan said, sighing as he took a sip of coffee while he watched Pam drop to her hands and knees and rush to pick up all the envelopes.

“And if it was up to you?” Jess asked as they watched Pam mumble to herself as she finally managed to pick up all the envelopes and-

Somehow managed to drop them again when she moved to stand up.

“I’d fire her,” Nathan said, biting back a sigh as he took a sip of his coffee and watched as the woman who had absolutely no business working at Haven Technologies finally managed to drop the envelopes on his desk, only to manage to knock over the pens on his desk.

“But you can’t,” Jess said with a sympathetic look as she finished her coffee.

“But I can’t,” Nathan murmured in agreement as he watched Pam finally finish picking up the pens on his desk and shove them back in the cup before she slowly exhaled, nodded to herself and quickly made her way back to the elevator.

“So, what’s the plan?” Jess asked as they watched Pam struggle with the rope to pull the gate closed.

“Keep her out of the way and deal with her later,” Nathan said as he watched Pam finally manage to close the gate.

“I was talking about Bailey,” Jess said, throwing him a questioning look as she poured herself more coffee as he stood there, thinking about his sister and-

“I honestly have no fucking idea.”

* * *

Georgia

“Oh, God…”came the hollow whisper followed by, “They’re never going to find my body,” that had Quinn sighing heavily as he threw his grandfather’s old truck into park.

“You really are a pain in the ass,” he said, turning off the truck and reached into the back and grabbed the backpack that he’d packed when he realized that she wouldn’t be able to go five minutes without getting in trouble.

“And I’m willing to change if that’s what it takes to leave these woods alive,” Bailey mumbled before adding, “Please don’t kill me, Quinn. I can change.”

Sighing, Quinn shoved his door open as he said, “No, you can’t,” only to feel his lips twitch when she sadly mumbled, “I really can’t.”

Wondering why the caffeine from the Coke that she’d helped herself to hadn’t kicked in yet, Quinn closed his door and made his way around the truck, pausing long enough to grab the sleeping bag that he threw in the back and made his way to her door only to fucking sigh when she locked it. Shifting the sleeping bag into his other hand, he gestured for her to unlock the door. Licking her lips nervously, Bailey slowly shook her head, her panicked gaze never leaving his as he reached over and opened the door.

“The lock hasn’t worked in years,” Quinn said as he reached for her.

“I really wish I had known that before I put all my hopes and dreams into that plan,” Bailey said, nodding solemnly only to stop with a wince and placed her hand against her forehead with a pained whimper as he grabbed her other hand.

“I bet you do,” he drawled as he gently pulled her out of the truck.

Once she was standing next to him, he debated throwing her over his shoulder to make sure that she didn’t try running off, but…

He remembered all those times that she tried to outrun Kelly and her band of bitches when they decided to go after her and she ended up tripping over her own two feet and taking herself out. So, unless things had changed dramatically over the years, and something told him that they hadn’t, he wasn’t all that worried about her running off. But just to be sure that she didn’t try anything, he took her hand in his after he shut the truck door and headed for the trail that his grandfather showed him when he was little.

“Did I mention that I was sorry for making you cry?” Bailey asked, sounding really fucking hopeful.

“I didn’t cry,” Quinn said, leading her through the woods until he came to the small hill blocked by several large boulders.

“Are you sure? Because I remember seeing your eyes glistening as the train pulled out of the station,” she said as he led her around the first boulder and took the small trail over the hill and past the old oak tree that he fell out of when he was six and broke his arm.

“That was rage,” he said absently as he glanced back at her to make sure that she was okay to find her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she followed him and noted the tension around her eyes and wondered why the damn woman refused to listen to reason and take it easy.

Because she was a stubborn pain in the-

“Are you planning on burying my body out here or abandon me as soon as you decide that I’m sufficiently lost enough to the point that I’ll never be able to find my way out and will be left at the mercy of whatever ravenous animal finds me?” Bailey asked, throwing a nervous glance over her shoulder.

“What makes you think there isn’t a third option?” Quinn drawled as he led her up a small path that wrapped around another set of boulders and finally came to the place where he used to go to clear his head.

“I’m trying to narrow it down since thinking hurts right now,” Bailey mumbled absently as she took in the old Spanish moss tree shadowing the alcove where he used to lose himself for hours, the small cliff above the lake, the wildflowers growing all around them, and the moss-covered boulders surrounding them. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, it is,” Quinn murmured in agreement as he tossed the bag on the ground along with the sleeping bag.

“You never answered my question,” Bailey pointed out as she made her way to the edge of the small cliff overlooking the lake and had a better look.

“Would it help if I told you that I was too tired to dig a grave?” Quinn asked, watching her.

“Probably,” Bailey murmured in agreement as she picked up a pebble and dropped it in the lake. “Then, what are we doing here?”

“Talking,” Quinn said as he reached down and unsnapped his jeans.

* * *

“And you needto strip naked to do that?” Bailey asked, watching Quinn shove his pants down, revealing a pair of gray boxer briefs and-

What were they talking about? Bailey couldn’t help but wonder as she watched him toe off his boots and shove his pants off the rest of the way while she stood there, unable to look away as he stood up and…

She probably should look somewhere else, Bailey thought, nodding in agreement as she somehow managed to look up and met grey eyes lit up with humor. “I do for this,” Quinn said, walking to the edge of the cliff and stepped off, dropping into what appeared to be waist-high water and gestured for her to join him.

Once again thankful for Pam’s batting abilities, she pointed to her head. “I’m not supposed to get the stitches wet.”

“You’ll be fine,” he promised her as he held his arms up to help her down.

“Yeah, no, I’m good here,” Bailey said, nodding as she decided to have a better look at that sleeping bag.

Decision made, she walked over to the tree, unable to help but notice that this would make a lovely place to pass out from the pain and-

“I forgot that you didn’t know how to swim,” came the quietly murmured words that had her frowning as she carefully laid down and nearly groaned when her head touched the soft sleeping bag.

“I chose not to learn how to swim,” she pointed out around a yawn as she curled up and got comfortable as a light wind raced over her body, bringing along the scent of wildflowers along with peaches.

“And by ‘chose,’ do you mean that you freaked out, screamed, ‘They’re trying to kill me!’ and then left me with no choice but to jump in and pull you off the poor swimming instructor screaming for mercy?” Quinn drawled, making her lips twitch.

“Yes, yes, it is,” Bailey mumbled against the sleeping bag, more relaxed than she had been in years. She didn’t know what magic this place held, but she knew that she never wanted to leave.