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Shit. Neither did I. I tamp down on the worry. “Quinn will have called someone. And surely there’s a way to make calls from here?”
Thelma looks around, her eyes lingering on the intercom panel.
“Kind of. When you come in here, unless you input a code into the panel within fifteen seconds, it alerts the security company. They can call through the intercom if they arrive and no one seems to be here.”
“They can’t unlock it?”
Thelma purses her lips, tipping her head to the side. “If someone is in here, you can only unlock it on the outside by overriding it. The security company doesn’t have the code. Dad and the uncles are the only ones that know it.”
“You don’t know it?”
Thelma shakes her head. “We thought it would be safer if only one person in each branch of the family knew it. Fewer people to coerce.”
Thelma falls silent, resting her head on my chest as I stroke her hair, waiting, and watching the door. She doesn’t fall asleep, but she doesn’t speak again.
Eventually, there is a loud buzz, and Thelma jerks alert in my arms.
“What is that?” I ask, but Thelma is already on her feet, crossing to the intercom panel and hitting a button. Quinn’s voice fills the room.
“It’s all clear, Thelma. The police are on their way. I’ve called it in to the agency as well. You’re okay to come out.”
Thelma moves her hand to press the exit button, but I grab her wrist. You can’t be too trusting in a situation like this.
“How do you know they aren’t forcing him to say that?”
Thelma looks up at me, her eyes wide. “We agreed that if that ever happened, he would call me Ms. Rampwood.”
Well, okay then. I drop Thelma’s wrist, and she presses the button, the door unlocking and swinging open. Quinn is standing on the other side, his blond hair, T-shirt, and sweatpants looking decidedly rumpled. At least his gun is tucked away.
“He’s downstairs.”
Thelma blinks in surprise, her hand sliding into mine as we follow Quinn down the spiral staircase. As we reach the bottom, Thelma stares wide-eyed at the young man hogtied on the living room floor.
A uniformed security guard is standing over him, who nods to her.
“Ms. Rampwood. Alan from Shorehaven Security. We got your panic-room notification.”
“Thank you for coming.”
He nods, his eyes sweeping over Quinn and landing back on the man on the ground.
“I’d say your bodyguard did most of it.
Quinn isn’t paying attention to Thelma and the security guard's conversation. Instead, he watches Thelma’s face as she stares at the bound guy.
“Do you know him?” Quinn asks. Thelma’s eyes flicker over him as she nods.
“Y-yes. I was his sister’s lawyer.”
So, I guess everyone was right. It was related to a case but wasn’t one of Thelma’s clients. Quinn’s lips thin, having obviously made the same conclusion.
“Where is his sister now?”
Thelma lets out a shaky breath. “Serving ten years for assault.”
I can see why maybe the brother targeted Thelma. The word is out of my mouth before I can stop it, “Shit.”
Thelma sighs, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Yeah.”
