Mr. Rey’s convoy joined theirs not long after they’d left the hospital. Adam and Elise, along with Mr. Rey’s Omega, were packed away behind the dark tinted windows of one of them. The large black SUV’s and sleek sedans presented an ominous force as they hurried down the streets, gliding through the desperate filth before breaking out onto the highway. There they put on real speed, cars flying along in a tight packed group that seemed far too dangerous to Quinn. No matter Tobias’ reassurances of the drivers’ abilities, seeing nothing more than the reflection of her glossy window in the paint job of the vehicle beside her was nauseating.
“When we arrive, go straight inside,” Tobias said, pitching his voice low for her ears alone. “Rey and his woman will follow you in with the children.”
“I still don’t think that will end well,” Quinn whispered against his collar, unsure if watching the world stream past the windshield was better than feeling it.
“It will be fine.”
“Why couldn’t they have stayed with Meghan? At least her smell doesn’t bother me.”
“Meghan is weak. If someone had attacked the house, she wouldn’t have lasted long.”
“But—”
“And if she’d known their location, someone could have used that as well. It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.”
“Is that why I was in the hospital under a fake name?”
“Noticed that, did you?” There was a smile in his tone, though it failed to appear on his lips when he canted his head to see her face.
“Well, when I had to sign as Agnes Blanchett, yes, I did notice.” Quinn huffed a sigh and squirmed around in his arms until she could face the front of the car again, certain now that hurtling through space sideways wasn’t agreeing with her.
“You could have signed it as anything you wanted to. The files were destroyed the moment we left.”
The crunch of gravel under the tires interrupted Quinn’s train of thought. The long drive disappeared behind them in what felt like a blink of an eye, leaving Quinn staring up at the foreboding manse sprawling across the sky. Pulled from the car by Tobias’ firm hands, she hurried up the steps and inside before it registered that he wasn’t at her side.
Turning to rush back out, feeling too alone and small in the echoing coolness of the foyer, Quinn came face to face with her former employer and a small dark haired woman standing in his shadow. Mr. Rey was the same as usual, with a tailored suit of charcoal and his dark hair slicked back from the richness of tawny features. The woman was a complete unknown. She hadn’t worked at Wicked when Quinn was there, nothing about her familiar from the cascade of rich brown waves to the small feet encased in short black boots. Eyes so blue they were purple peered out through a fall of her hair, a trembling smile on taut red lips.
“Mama!” Adam barreled forward, releasing the woman’s hand to fling himself at Quinn’s knees. A raucous litany of garbled syllables and true words intermingled while he recounted every second of their time apart, small hands gesturing in wild arcs back at the woman and Mr. Rey.
“I gave them a bath earlier, and I haven’t touched them much since,” the woman said when Adam paused to take a panting breath, faint and refusing to make any real eye contact. Her diminutive hand trailed over Mr. Rey’s arm as he held out a sleeping Elise in her car seat.
Smart girl, whoever she was. Quinn took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, regretting it as soon as she did. Her lip lifted, hand snatching Adam closer as she tugged the heavy car seat free of Mr. Rey’s grip. It was a stupid maneuver, but even with the suppressant the woman took, Quinn could scent the candied sweetness of another Omega. One far too close to Quinn’s kids and in her home.
The car seat was heavy enough on its own but combined with the dead weight of a sleeping child, there was no way Quinn could hold it aloft. The swift descent had it thumping against the warm wooden floor, waking Elise with a jolt. She did not appreciate the interruption to her nap, letting everyone know just how angry she was with a piercing wail.
“Devin’s not gonna hurt them, Quinn,” Mr. Rey said, voice a low rumble that didn’t dare to command, though he pushed this Devin behind his bulk all the same.
Quinn muttered and growled under her breath, dropping to her knees to struggle with the buckles to free Elise. A squirming infant is a trial at the best of times, but an angry one stuck in straps became a demon. The entire time she shrieked, building to an ear splitting crescendo that had Adam joining in to castigate his mother and support his sister.
“What’s going on?” It was less a question than a horrified squawk as Meghan flew down the stairs. Crowding Quinn out of her way, Meghan managed to get Elise loose of the twisted coat that held her prisoner in the seat and clear of the nylon bands. Hugging Elise to her chest, the warmth in her eyes vanished when she glanced at Quinn before turning back to the whimpering child. Muttered under her breath, she kept her scolding between them, “You could have hurt her, Miss Quinn.”
The lurid wash of anger wilted into dismay. Shriveling up into a bone deep distress that left Quinn crumbling in on herself as Adam went to cuddle his sniffling sister in Meghan’s arms. Daring to glance at the near strangers crowding the foyer, Quinn saw the foreboding scowl lining Mr. Rey’s face and the flicker of distaste in the vivid blue of Devin’s eyes.
Even they thought she was a terrible mother.
Arms winding around her middle, chin tipping down until it met with her chest, she blinked back the scalding tears. No matter the circumstances, regardless of the situation, the thoughts turned and twisted in her mind, feeding on every glimpse of insecurity. It was a veritable feast.
What had been joyous relief at being normal again, or at least the promise of it soon, became a gnarled claw that crushed the hint of lightness from her heart as she watched her children soothed by another. The way they trusted Meghan to ease their hurts.
“What the hell is going on here,” Tobias snapped, charging through the door as if he expected something far different from the quiet depression oozing from his mate’s pores. Green gaze alight with rage, he took in the scene. Settling on Meghan, his forehead creased with deep lines. Without looking away from the trio, he addressed the others. “There a reason you’re still here, Rey?”
“You’re the one who said you wanted to talk.” The grinding of teeth came in the thick wave of quiet tension that followed. “How you run your house is none of my business, and I’d be just as happy to not have to stand here and see it.”
Devin’s gasp became a squeak when Mr. Rey grabbed her arm. Hauling her slight body after him, he had her on tiptoes as he marched for the doors.
“I’m not done with you, Rey.”
Pulling up short in the still open doorway, Rey muttered a curse under his breath. Tugging Devin against his side, he muffled her whine of pain when he wrenched her arm behind her back. Large hand catching the edge of the door, he closed it with care, the snick of the latch loud.
