Midnight Lies: The Wildefire Series (22 page)

“I’ll get it. It’s probably Quinn. He’s staying here for a couple of days.”

Behind the worry, she saw a glint of humor in his eyes. “Then I’ll let you answer
the door.”

“We’ll go get dinner and be back in a few minutes.”

Zach nodded and opened the door to Savvy’s room.

As Samantha headed downstairs, she lectured herself. Just because he would be here
for a few days didn’t mean anything. They were going to talk, nothing more.

Vanity made her stop in the half bath just off the hallway. When she saw the pale
woman with the wild hair and worry-filled eyes, she grimaced at her and walked away.
It would take more time than she had to repair her appearance. Besides, Quinn had
seen her many times without makeup.

A smile fixed on her face, she opened the door and then pulled back slightly. She
hadn’t expected Blaine Marshall to be on the other side of it.

His smile holding a touch of uncertainty and almost shyness, he held out a colorful
bouquet of fall flowers. “Sorry to just drop in on you like this. I heard about your
accident and then when you didn’t answer my calls, I got worried.”

“How did you know about my accident?”

“I had breakfast at Faye’s this morning. Merriam, the clinic’s receptionist, mentioned
you were at the clinic last night, and then one of the deputies—I can’t remember his
name—said someone tried to run you over.”

Nothing was private in this town. “I’m fine. Just a few scrapes and bruises. And I
wouldn’t say someone tried to run me over. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I was
jogging at night and the driver didn’t see me.”

“That’s a relief, then. So everything’s okay? When you didn’t answer your phone, I
got worried.”

He wanted her to invite him in and wasn’t being all that subtle about it, either.
His gaze darted around, as if he were trying to see inside the house. She didn’t want
him here. With Savvy’s problems and Quinn on the way over, the last thing she wanted
was to have a visitor.

Still, their curious discussion the other night about Florida had raised red flags
that required further investigation. Both Savvy and Brody, who had heard the conversation,
had agreed there had been something suspicious
in his voice. So until she knew, one way or the other, about Blaine’s possible connection
to Cruz, she needed to maintain some semblance of interest.

She smiled her appreciation at his concern. “Everything’s fine. I left my cellphone
in my car. Didn’t even know you had called.” At least that much was true.

“I guess, after your accident, you wouldn’t feel like going to dinner and a movie
tonight?”

He looked so hopeful and lonely, Samantha felt guilty. Even though she didn’t trust
the guy, she almost felt sorry for him. She grimaced an apology. “I’m still a little
sore from my fall last night. Maybe I could take a rain check.”

“I understand. I—” He broke off at the sound of a car coming down the drive toward
the house.

Samantha held back a sigh. Now she would have to explain each man to the other.

Blaine watched as Quinn’s black Audi pulled up and parked beside his older model Toyota.
“Looks like you have company.”

“He’s a … friend … staying here for a few days.”

Turning back to her, he nodded. “I heard rumors. Guess they were true.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“That you’d recently broken up with someone. Looks like that didn’t stick.”

The Wilde family was no stranger to being the subject of Midnight’s gossipers. In
earlier days, Samantha had purposely fed those voracious rumormongers. Focused on
her, they had left Savvy and Bri alone. Of the three of them, she had felt better
equipped to handle the maliciousness that had followed their parents’ deaths. But
that was years ago and she was long past willing to feed those particular vultures.

“Midnight is full of lies and half-truths. Beware of what you hear.”

Her words were sharper than intended and she immediately
regretted them. Alienating this man was certainly not the right way to go about gaining
his trust.

Oddly he didn’t seem put off by her blunt statement. “Someone as beautiful as you
being unattached was too good to be true anyway.”

With Quinn stepping up on the porch, it wasn’t a good time to try to explain anything.
She sniffed the flowers appreciatively. “Thank you for the flowers, Blaine. Savvy’s
not feeling well, so it’ll be a few days before I can go out, but I would like to
see you again.”

Surprise and something else flickered in his eyes. She had a feeling he would be looking
for more than just some mild flirting the next time she saw him. She mentally shrugged.
She’d deal with that when she had to.

“I guess I’d better go.”

“We’ll talk soon. Okay?”

Nodding, he turned away and gave Quinn an awkward smile as he passed him.

Quinn barely glanced his way, his blue eyes glittering dangerously. She’d seen him
this furious only once before. Her entire body tensed up. Was he upset about Blaine?

As he stopped in front of her, his voice was quiet but held a seething fury. “Why
didn’t you tell me someone almost ran you down last night?”

More than aware of Blaine sitting in his car, staring at them, Samantha backed up
and motioned for him to come inside. The instant the door was closed, she said, “Midnight’s
gossipers at it again?”

“No, your brother-in-law told me. He’s concerned and so am I.”

Surprised that the usually closemouthed Zach would reveal that, she said, “When did
you talk to Zach?”

“He called to thank me for my help earlier. He said since he was taking a few days
off, he thought it’d be a good idea if I knew about the incident so I could keep an
eye on you.”

She frowned. “I don’t need anyone keeping an eye on me. I can take care of myself.”

“Apparently not, since you were almost killed last night.”

With a huff of exasperation, Samantha turned away. “I’m going to the kitchen for a
vase. If you want to stand here and act like a jerk, feel free, but I don’t intend
to stay around and watch.”

Quinn clenched his jaw till his teeth hurt. Behaving like an ass with Sam had apparently
become an epidemic with him. Learning what had almost happened to her had brought
out all of his protective tendencies. Unfortunately it had also turned him into a
caveman. Instead of talking with her about the incident like an adult, all he’d been
able to focus on was what could have happened and how it would have been his fault.

Only minutes after learning he had bought the Hartley property, a place he knew she
loved, she had almost been run over … could have been killed. Their argument had likely
distracted her. He shouldn’t have let her leave like that. He’d known she was upset.
It had been getting dark and she had been at least five miles from her home. The thought
of anything happening to Sam twisted his insides.

The instant she returned, Quinn moved slowly toward her. More than anything, he wanted
to touch and pet her, reassure himself she was truly okay. Since he figured he’d get
a well-deserved put-down, if not more, he settled for what he hoped was a halfway
decent smile and an apology. “I’m sorry, Sam. Can we start all over?”

“Gladly.”

That had always been one of the things he’d liked most about this woman. Even when
she was angry, she didn’t hold a grudge.

“If I promise not to turn into a jerk again, will you tell me what happened?”

“I’ll tell you on the way to pick up dinner. Faye’s putting together a takeout order
for us.” She looked at the duffel bag he’d dropped at the door. “You want me to show
you to your room first so you can drop that off?”

“It’ll be fine there till we get back. How’s your sister?”

“Resting.”

Quinn nodded. “Best thing for her.” As they walked out onto the porch, Quinn nodded
at his Audi. “We can take my car.”

She was silent until they were both in the car and then turned to him with a teasing
grin. “You know if you walk into Faye’s with me, you’ll start up a whole new slew
of rumors. Are you ready to be the talk of the town?”

She had been joking but his reply was as serious and honest as he could get. “More
than I would have ever thought possible.”

It wasn’t until much later that Samantha and Quinn had the chance to talk. On the
way to Faye’s, he had gotten a call on his cellphone that had put him in a grim, silent
mood. She hadn’t been able to avoid listening, not that it had done her any good.
The conversation had been one-sided, with Quinn giving short yes-and-no answers. After
he’d ended the call, she had asked if everything was okay and had barely gotten a
grim nod.

She had assumed he would remain that way the rest of the evening, but after they left
Faye’s with a boxload of food and dozens of good wishes for Savannah, the austere
expression had been replaced with something else. In fact, he had looked almost jovial.
For Quinn, who could make stoicism seem cheerful, that was something.

Dinner was surprisingly upbeat. Since Savvy couldn’t leave her bed, Zach took dinner
up to their room and they shared a cozy meal together. Samantha and Quinn sat in the
kitchen, enjoying Faye’s incredible chicken
and dumplings, and talked about everything but serious things. A discussion of weather,
football, and favorite holiday dishes was a welcome relief from the tension of the
last couple of days.

When the subject of the Hartley place came up, she was thrilled that he asked her
opinion on painting and decorating the interior. Closing her eyes, she pictured the
house as she remembered it and gave him ideas for each room. When she opened her eyes
again, she was surprised and touched that Quinn had jotted her ideas onto a napkin.

“The house will need a lot more than a coat of paint on the walls, though,” she said.

“Yeah. In fact, when I talked to your brother-in-law earlier, I asked him for contractor
recommendations. He suggested a company who specializes in renovations.”

Samantha nodded. “He’s a good person to ask. Before he became police chief, that’s
what he did.”

Folding up the paper napkin of notes, Quinn tucked it into his shirt pocket. “So,
the guy with the flowers … who was he?”

She was surprised it had taken him this long to ask. With anyone else, she would have
been evasive, but there was no reason to be that way with Quinn. She trusted him to
keep what she told him in the strictest of confidence.

“His name is Blaine Marshall and I’m investigating him.”

“I heard that you and your sisters have opened a security agency. Is this one of your
cases?”

“Yes, our only case, actually. We’ve barely scratched the surface of creating the
agency. Bri and I went to Birmingham a few weeks ago and did some specialized weapons
and tactical training. We’d just gotten back when we got this case.”

“Can you talk about it?”

“There’s not much to say. We’re protecting a young woman who is being sought by a
drug lord. She believes he’ll send someone after her. Blaine is the only newcomer
to Midnight in the last couple of weeks.”

“And you suspect he might be the man who’s after your client?”

“Possibly. He seems like a nice enough guy but I can tell he’s keeping secrets. Whether
they have anything to do with our client remains to be seen.”

“We all have secrets.”

“Some more than others.”

“You said Marshall was the only newcomer to Midnight. Have you forgotten about me?”

“Absolutely not, but I trust you.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” And then because they both needed to hear her say it, she added, “I’ll never
doubt you again, Quinn. I promise.”

His gaze locked with hers for several long seconds, and then he breathed out a ragged
breath. “You have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now?”

She wanted that, too, but that’s where they’d gone wrong before. “Me too, but—”

“I know … I know.” He stood and went to the coffeemaker. “Want more coffee?”

She shook her head. “It’ll keep me awake and I didn’t sleep all that well last night.”

“Because of your accident? Or was it an accident? You think someone deliberately tried
to run you down?”

“The more I think about it, the less convinced I am that someone wanted to hurt or
kill me. Just makes no sense.” She shrugged slightly. “It was probably just some kids
who let a prank go too far.”

“You piss anyone off lately?”

She grinned. “Just you.”

“Yeah, but when you piss me off, I don’t want to run you down with my car.”

“What do you want to do?”

Heat returned to his eyes again. “If I tell you that, we’ll be getting back into dangerous
territory.”

With just one look and those words, arousal flooded through her. From the moment they’d
met, this incredible chemistry had been between them. Unfortunately it had also been
their downfall. Instead of learning about each other, they’d learned what pleased
each other physically. Important, yes, but not as important as sharing the information
that revealed their true selves.

The decision to steer the conversation in another direction wasn’t easy but was infinitely
smarter and safer.

“Why do you never talk about your parents?”

Black brows furrowed in a grimace. “Hell, that was a hundred-eighty-degree turn of
a pleasant conversation.”

“I thought that was the purpose of us being together. Getting to know each other.”

“You’re right, it is. Still doesn’t make it an enjoyable topic.”

“I know they live in Virginia. Right?”

“As far as I know.”

“You don’t talk to them?”

“No. My mother called me out of the blue about nine months ago. First time I’d talked
to her in years. Conversation was a stilted, one-sided mess. She asked about Charlene
and I told her we’d divorced. She did the obligatory ‘I told you so,’ said my father
was fine, and that was it.”

“Your parents didn’t like Charlene?”

“They never met her. But if they had, no, they wouldn’t have liked her. My parents
had certain ideas about who their sons should associate with—Charlene definitely wouldn’t
have been on their approved list. Besides, not
many people liked Charlene, unless she was sleeping with them. Even then, I doubt
that any of her lovers actually liked her.”