Quinn II (Undaunted Men #2) (18 page)

“Yeah,” Connor replies. “I just wish you would've told me, but I understand why you didn't.”

“Bennett betrayed his own family. He was on the wrong side of the fence and knew what he was doing when he did it.” Connor acknowledges Tony by nodding his head in understanding. “I am sorry you had to find out this way.”

I get the odd feeling there is something more between those two than what has been revealed. Some silent communication passes between them and my eyes narrow in thought. Connor rubs at the indents on his wrists which the tight restraints had left behind. “I don’t know what to say,” Connor says, still shaken by the news.

“You can start off by apologizing to Quinn,” Preston firmly commands.

Connor glances at me then looks down, seemingly ashamed. When he lifts his head, his eyes are glossed over and his voice is croaky. “I’m so sorry. I thought for sure…” He’s not able to finish his sentence.

I have nothing to say to him except one thing. “I don’t ever want to see your face again. If I do, I won’t hesitate. And you can interpret that any way you see fit.”
 

He shifts nervously on his feet, knowing I will make good on my threat, whether it's beating the shit out of him or putting him in a coffin.

“As for you, Vince,” Tony cuts in, “you're the one who’s been played. Connor has known for years that I was his biological father.” Vince's eyebrow twitches at the news. “Connor's been working undercover for me for quite some time. I knew you were bad news, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt when you started dating Lexi. Connor's job was to keep tabs on you at all times. I will admit you made it a little harder for me to pin you down by not including, or making Connor privy to your newly organized group . Why is that I wonder?” Tony asks, ridiculing him.

Vince’s face grows red with anger, his voice full of vehemence, “Every single fucking one of you have destroyed what it was I was building. But you know what? I can still build, I’ve just had a little set back is all. If my handler didn’t get busted, I would’ve steam-rolled over your mob by now.”

“That’s a pretty audacious statement, you thinking you’re invincible and all,” Tony says as he crosses his arms.

Vince shrugs his shoulders. “The authorities never could break my supplier. It’s why I’m still free.”

“It doesn’t look as if you’re free anymore,” I pipe in, calmly stating the obvious. He snarls at me, his lip twitching in anger. “In fact, I believe you just hung yourself.”
 

“Fuck you,” he spews at me, and then he turns to Tony, “I can still have Lexi put away for life.”

Tony dips his head back and lets out a deep laugh, one that holds an ominous tone, making the hairs on my own neck stand at attention. “That's all you've got left to fight me with? I took down and scattered your once growing army and now you're grasping at straws. You still think you've got an ace in the hole, don't you? How about I educate you a little bit?”
 

Tony steps in front of Vince and then squats down, getting eye to eye with him. “See, the second you had Connor take Lexi's gun, wanting to frame her for murder, he let me in on your little scheme. I, however, beat you to your own game. We changed Lexi's gun out for one of yours, the one you actually killed with. It has your fingerprints in all the right places, too. Imagine that,” he taunts. “So you see? You never would've gotten one over on me. I just needed to make sure there was no one else besides you and Bennett who were behind this hostile takeover.”

Everyone in the room is either quiet, or fucking speechless, I'm the latter. Vince's body goes rigid and his face flushes in heated anger. “You won't get away with this.”

Tony tilts his head to the side, and then gestures with his hand around the room. “Really? I'm not going to get away this? Forgive me for asking, but where are all your little soldiers now, Vince? You know, the ones who are supposed to put up layers of insulation between you and your enemy?” he mocks.

“You can't do this. My dad will have your ass.”

“That's where you're wrong. Your greed made you sloppy, and your father knows it.” Tony stands to his full height and motions to Preston. “Take him out of here, Son.”

Preston moves in, lifting Vince up with ease, and begins to escort him out of the room, but not before a small struggle and a lot of curse words follow in their wake. Connor follows quietly behind. The sound of their boots ascending the stairs soon fades then silence takes over. It's just me and Tony now, and we are left with a new tension emitting through the room. He rubs the back of his neck, before he turns and faces me.
 

I wait for him to speak first, because if I have first say, I’m going to rip him a new asshole. Although, in my state, I’m not sure I’m physically capable. I fight to control my breathing, because anger is just below the surface, ramping up my blood pressure.

“Quinn, I know what you’re thinking.” My teeth are clenched tightly and my jaw muscles flex. “I promise you I didn’t know. It wasn’t until you were in the thick of the trails that all of Vince's plans began to unfold. He had this orchestrated so well that it wasn’t until you called me, informing me you were ambushed that things started to fall into place. By the time I put all the pieces of the puzzle together, Vince had thought he had enough to get the upper hand on me. He couldn't take me down with an army of men, so he thought he'd slip in the back door and marry into my empire instead. I have to hand it to the both of them, they scared the shit out of my little girl. They had Lexi believing I couldn't help her out of her predicament just in case she decided not to comply.
 

He had it all lined up, Lexi committing a murder, a bullet to the victim's head in a fit of a jealous ex-girlfriend's rage. It was a clean kill, one in which a jury would believe a female could've pulled off. Then she got scared and took off. She went on the run from the authorities. Cajoled is more like it, but it all looked pretty good on the surface if you asked me. While they were at it, they were able to tie in a bonus catch – which was you, and I was forced to play it all out.
 

All Connor could see was getting vengeance for Bennett's death while he kept me informed of Vince's moves. But when you evaded them on those trails, Vince got frustrated, which in turn made him sloppy. If Connor hadn't been on my side from the beginning, there is no doubt Vince would've strong-armed his way in to my family.”

“I believe you, Tony,” I respond with rigid emotion. “Looks as if you don't have to worry about any of that now, do you?” I decide not to tell him about Lexi; it's not my business. Judging from the sex video, I don't think Vince would've had to bend her arm too terribly hard to keep her by his side. The fact she's pregnant, in love, and possibly already married, well…she deserved him.

Maybe Connor should've been watching over Lexi and not Vince. There's one thing I won't do, and that is talk bad about a man's daughter to his face, most specifically a man like Moretti. One just doesn't insult an Italian mafia family member and expect a man hug afterwards. I keep my mouth shut because that's Lexi's drama, and she's going to have to be the one to tell her good ole dad what she's been up to. The truth will come out, especially when she starts to show.
   

“I found out a little too late my phone was bugged. Somehow Connor and Vince were able to switch some phone lines around after the last conversation we had so they could intercept your coordinates. The information I had received was to actually meet you the following day, which would’ve been today. Vince wanted me out of town for when he brought you and Lexi back. It wasn’t until one of my men caught a worker down the street switching the lines back at the electrical box.” His jaw muscles flex as he shakes his head. Frustrated those guys got one over on him. “I’m just glad you had the foresight to keep your comrades in the loop. Stryker called me, asking if you were with me, because he knew we were supposed to meet up together.
 
When I told him no, he promptly gave me your location.” He pauses, his lips forming into a genuine frown. “I promise I had your back the entire time, and I’m sorry about Kimber.”

“Thanks,” I gruffly murmur, not wanting to relive that moment just yet. He takes a few steps forward, stopping in front of me to offer his hand to help me up, and I take it. He helps pull me out of the chair, and I let out a long-winded groan. Fuck, my ribs hurt. “Sorry your dirty laundry was aired.”

“Yeah,” he sighs in defeat, sounding tired. “There's always somebody who's always trying to play King of The Mountain.”

“Sounds like Vince got in way over his head.”

“That's an understatement.”

“Why, Tony? Why did you have my back last year?” I ask, curious.

“Besides the fact you and your men were fighting for me? When I saw Bennett in that sting, fighting for the wrong side, he was killing my people, my family. He would've killed Preston if given the chance. I had decided right then your life was worth far more than trying to save Bennett's. He would've never come around. But you...” he says tapping me on my shoulder, “your life was worth it, you're one of the good guys, Quinn, and I like you. Not many men have the guts to stand up to me, and even fewer have the integrity and work ethic that you have. I respect you, I always have. And not many men get my respect.”
 

I nod my head as I digest his words. We were busting up a serious cocaine operation at the time. I’m more than convinced now it was Vince who was behind it all. The men we caught that night took the fall, protecting him.
 

I don't even know how Tony knew I was being followed when I went back into the warehouse for the second time. I had found myself in the heat of the battle, it was dark and hard to tell who was who. I was shocked and jolted out of my skin when a heavy body slammed into mine. I turned around and was stunned to see this guy drop dead before he even hit the floor. I definitely would've been a goner. I never did figure out who it was that saved my life, but I knew Tony was somehow behind it.
 

“You didn't have to send Preston in behind me, your own son. You could've sent anyone,” I trailed off.
 

Tony gives me a reassuring smile. “I wanted the job done right so I sent in one of my best.”
 

“Thank you,” I hoarsely whisper.
 

“You're welcome,” he says, giving me a warm grin.
 
All I know is Vince had to do some deep digging and specialized hacking to get the information he got on those involved in the sting. “Let's go get you some medical help.” I nod my head. On the way out the door, Tony takes me by the elbow, stopping me.

“I owe you, Quinn.”

“For what? You just saved my life for a second time.”

He half-laughs, but then his face turns serious. “Thank you for taking care of Alexis, and for protecting her.”

“No, we’re more than square.” I don't want to talk about her.

He looks down to his feet then flicks his eyes back up to meet mine. “About Alexis…” he starts, and I know where he's going with it, but I don’t want to hear it.
 

“She was just a job, Tony,” I callously inform him. “I never cared for her like you think I did.” I pull my arm out of his grasp and start to walk away.

“Quinn,” Tony tries to interject.

I look over my shoulder and bite out, “Don’t,” my tone telling him the conversation is over. “She was just a job,” I slowly reiterate, “so leave it be.” His lips form into a thin line as he nods his head, looking almost crestfallen, and then he glances away.
 

I am sick of waking up from a drug-induced haze. My mouth feels dry, and tastes like the bottom of a birdcage. I’m just sick, irate, vexed, furious, and every other infuriated and angered emotion I can think of. I’m no longer afraid of Vince and his threats; all I can think about is saving Quinn. Well, that’s really not true. I am scared; I’m just too upset right now to acknowledge the fear Vince instilled in me.

I rub at my eyes, forcing myself to get moving. I wake up to find myself in my childhood bedroom at my parents' house. Light filters in through the blinds, and I groan, because that means I’m losing precious time. Sons-of-bitches, both Vince and Connor.

I sigh, disgusted with my entire life, wishing I never left those trails with Quinn. I heave myself out of bed, and when my feet touch the floor, my head spins. “Oh, damn,” I mumble. I hold my head in my hands until the dizziness fades. I can’t afford to be groggy today. I need an army on my side, one that will fight for me. I have to find where they’re keeping Quinn and save him.
 

My stomach growls.
When was the last time I ate?
I run my fingers through my hair, feeling very disoriented and confused. It slowly dawns on me where I was last night, and I pray to God it was only a dream. I push off the bed, needing to make my way to the bathroom, and as I do, I hear familiar voices from the kitchen down below. I crouch down to the floor and place my ear against the air conditioning vent to listen. Growing up in this house, nobody ever realized their voice carried up from the downstairs kitchen and through the duct work, filtering its way right into my bedroom. I have heard many interesting conversations over the past years, and some I wish I'd never heard.