She only nodded as she comforted JJ. The hiccupping breaths had stopped, but he still clung to his mother.
Reid made the call and agreed to wait at the gas station for an officer to come take their statements and photos of Quinn’s injuries.
By the time the officer was done, the sun was sinking. It was too late to head back to the cabin. With all the excitement of the day, exhaustion clung to everyone. Staying at his house was out of the question. So, they opted to rent a hotel room. The only room left was a double queen. It was a little cozier than the cabin. Quinn and JJ couldn’t have their privacy, but Reid could stand guard outside if he needed to.
She said they were fine at the moment, but he still stood staring out the hotel window while she did her good night ritual with JJ. The one that included that Bible verse about not being afraid and sleeping sweet. How had she built a faith so strong while she faced insurmountable odds?
He wanted to meet Andrew in a dark alley. He must have called and had his buddies pay a visit to the house, knowing Reid had been at the funeral. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
He was convinced more than ever that Andrew was responsible for Joe’s death and everything that had happened since then. What else could explain the goons showing up at his house and attacking? The motive was there. Joe had connected him to at least a dozen robberies. Photographic evidence.
A hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to see Quinn standing behind him. “What are you thinking about?”
“How I know Andrew is behind this.”
“You texted earlier and said you knew he’d been at the bank. Did he tell you?”
He nodded and filled her in on his conversation. “Plus, after he talked to me, you were attacked.”
“I looked a little harder at the pictures while you were gone and found another photo of him scouting out a different bank, and there’s a photo of one of our kidnappers.”
“All we have are them at two banks that ended up getting robbed. Honestly, I don’t think that’s enough to want to kill Joe. If he had the evidence, why would they be targeting you and JJ?”
“I also noticed that I was in one of the photos. I recognized my coat and handbag.”
“Okay. Maybe, Andrew finds out about you and Joe, and then, he’s got something on Joe. They’ve both got something to hurt Victoria but to also protect themselves.” He rubbed his hand down his face. “That still doesn’t explain why they keep coming after you now that Joe is dead.”
“I don’t think they want me.” Quinn sat on the edge of the hotel bed and stared at her fingers. “When we were attacked at your house, the man asked where JJ was. He only wanted him.” She looked at her sleeping son, and a tear slid down her cheek. “Why do they want my baby?”
Reid’s chest tightened. He moved to the bed next to her, pulled her close, and held her. He kissed the top of her head. He’d grown to care for Quinn and her son. Much more than he ever would have expected.
They sat like that in silence. She molded to him, like she was meant to be in his arms. But he knew better than that. His arms were destined to be empty. He’d better put his feelings in a box and lock it up. Get back to the problem at hand.
What did a dozen bank robberies have to do with a six-year-old kid? All of them occurred before he was born. He could see that maybe they thought Joe had given Quinn something, but what?
“I’m trying to put pieces together. I know you said Joe was never in JJ’s life and that he only sent money to a bank account monthly. Did he ever send any gifts? Any small trinket that meant nothing?”
“No.”
“What about you? Any jewelry or something someone could hide stuff in?”
“No. He was a flowers and chocolates kind of guy, and even then, it wasn’t very often.”
“What if the USB drive wasn’t even meant for us?” Reid was thinking out loud. “What if whatever he wanted us to find is still out there?”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Maybe, we’re way off base. We’ll just have to go back and see what else we can find.” She yawned.
“Why don’t you get some rest? You’ve had a long day.”
“So have you.” She looked up at him with big green eyes.
He moved his hands to cradle her face, causing his fingers to tangle in her hair. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.” He tilted her head down and placed another kiss on her forehead.
He’d done that a couple of times now, despite knowing she would one day decide he wasn’t worthy. What he really wanted was to feel her lips against his again. They’d never talked about the kiss at his house. She hadn’t admonished him for it. Could she have enjoyed it as much as he had?
He pulled his hands away, pulling strands of her hair with them. He shook the hair free and tucked it behind her ears. “Sleep.” He nodded to the queen-size bed where JJ was sleeping soundly.
She climbed into the bed and snuggled with the boy.
