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"Do we need to leave for this conversation?" Will asked. "Because as much as I'd like to find those guys and at least attempt to kick their asses, I still need plausible deniability."

Ori shook their head. "Don't worry about them. I'll make sure they leave town."

"And that's about as much information as I'd like, thanks."

"There's a lot of information I'd like and almost all of it is about why those guys came here," Donovan said. I noticed how he kept watch on the front of the store, keeping his body between Alex and the door in case anyone came back in.

The four of them exchanged quick glances that I couldn't begin to understand. Obviously I wasn't the only one here with secrets.

"We should go," I said before they were forced to come up with a lie. "We need to get back to work."

"Thank you for helping me. I mean it. That was actually really scary," Alex whispered. He'd made no move to leave his boyfriend's arms, not that I blamed him. If I had someone like Donovan Parker protecting me, I'd stay right there as long as I could, too.

"I'm just glad we could do something," Lain said. He looked over at Ori, who nodded at him but didn't say anything. Another secret, but I was too exhausted to deal with anything else at the moment.

After a quick round of awkward goodbyes, Lain and I left, heading back over to the salon. I'd left my keys, too, so Lain let us back in, locking the door behind us. I made it to my desk on trembling legs and collapsed into the chair, shaking like a leaf in a tornado.

"That had to be about Typhon," I whispered, looking up at Lain. "Why else would they be here? I need to make sure he's okay."

"I'll handle the shop for the day. Don't worry about anything, just get home." He paused, eyeing me. "Are you okay to drive home?"

"I'll have to be." I'd hold it together as best I could.

Lain sighed and squatted down beside me, so we were closer to eye level. "This is probably a dumb question, but are you okay in general? I know that asshole probably triggered some heavy stuff. Maybe we should just cancel the day and I'll take you home."

As tempting as that was, I shook my head. "One of us should be the responsible one and today, I guess that's you." He didn't laugh and I dropped my weak attempt at a smile. "He stirred up a lot, but honestly, right now I'm more worried about Typhon. That's keeping me distracted right now."

I'm not sure Lain believed that, and he was right to doubt the lie, but he didn't call me on it.

"Maybe we should tell them," he said instead, making me wish he had called my bluff.

"Them? Like, Ori, Alex, Donovan, and Will? About Typhon?"

"Just hear me out. Those guys were questioning Alex pretty hard, much harder than they did us. Maybe they know more than they're telling us. They might be able to help."

I thought about the way the four of them looked at each other, the secretive glances and the carefully chosen words. Maybe they did know something, but could I risk it?

"I'll… I'll think about it," I hedged. "I should ask Typhon, though. It's his secret, not mine, and he should decide who knows."

"You're probably right. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, and I won't say a word until you tell me otherwise." Lain rested his hand on my knee, giving it a quick squeeze. "Promise me that you'll keep your phone on you at all times from now on, though, okay? If anything happens, even if you just get a weird feeling or something, you call me. Promise?"

"I promise." He was my emergency contact in my phone and the only number saved to my Favorites list for a reason.

The last dregs of adrenaline finally gave out and exhaustion swamped me. Every limb seemed to weigh a thousand pounds and that deep quiver of fear in my belly was threatening to spread its tendrils through my body again. I needed to get home.

A knock at the door helped chase it back and I jerked upright, peering around the shelves to see Will Dodd standing outside the shop.

"I'll get it," Lain said, quickly standing. "You go grab your stuff. Don't worry about your equipment. I'll put it away."

I really didn't deserve Lain.

While he answered the door, I stripped off the waterproof smock I wore over my clothes, hanging it on a hook by my workstation. My shears and blades were mostly put away, cleaned and sanitized between clients, but my clippers were still out. Despite Lain's words, I paused long enough to put them back on the charging port.

I probably should have tried to hear what Will wanted, but I was past the point of caring. Every time I swallowed or took a breath, my throat ached faintly as the bruising settled in and the memories battered at the ramshackle wall I'd hastily built to hold them back. I needed to be in my safe cottage, with all the security cameras on and Typhon beside me. Maybe then I'd finally be able to stop shaking.

"Quinn?"

I glanced up at Lain as I gathered my keys and wallet from the drawer in my workstation.