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Joe met his gaze. Quinn could have sworn he saw disgust flicker in his friend’s eyes. He had a sinking suspicion he knew why, but he needed to be certain.
“When he was in the can,” Joe said, “Fulton was a cellblock down from Woodsworth.”
And now he was certain.Mother. Fucker.
Fury raged within him. “So, Woodsworth got to him and told him about Alex.” His voice was like gravel, his tone lethal.
“We’re not sure right now. Woodsworth was supposed to be isolated from the rest of the inmates. We’re looking into it.” Joe hurried on as Quinn opened his mouth. “We don’t know if this is a random thing. We obviously don’t think it is, but we need to talk to Alex first.”
Quinn growled and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He had to dosomething, dammit. “What do you need from me? From my department?”
“Nothing. Our guys will handle it.”
He glared at Joe.
His friend held up his hands in surrender. “Look, I’m not going to get into a pissing match with you over who’s got jurisdiction, O’Conner. The fact of the matter is that there was an attack in the house of a federal agent. If you take into consideration how Alex is a key player in our investigation of Woodsworth...” His hands spread in a helpless gesture. “It’s our case. Simple as that.”
“Fuck that shit, Buchanan,” he hissed. “This ismyfucking town. And it’sAlex, dammit!”
His breath left him in a whoosh, as if he’d been sucker punched in the gut.Fuck!It was Alex.HisAlex. His shoulders deflated, and the anger seeped from him. The worry remained.
“Quinn,” Joe said, his voice cracking. “I swear to fucking god, I will keep you posted on what’s going on. From here on out,everythingI find out, I will fucking share with you. Even if I’m not supposed to, I swear to you, I will. You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” he said, dejected. He collapsed back onto the porch step next to Roxie. “Tell me, Joe, why the hell are you really here? And don’t give me some bullshit story about how Mayor Green invited you to his party tonight.”
Joe’s lips pressed into a grim line. “Woodsworth. He’s being released in two weeks. We need Alex to—”
Quinn’s cell phone rang.
“Hang on,” he said to Joe as he answered the call. After a brief exchange, he hung up and hustled toward his car. “Alex just woke up.”
Joe followed. “I’m coming with you.”
Quinn hesitated, turning back to Roxie, who was still sitting silently on the step. “Stay in the main house tonight, Roxie, and try to get some rest. I’ll check in with you when I can.”
“Don’t worry about anything, Roxanne,” Joe called out. His own phone started ringing, and he fished in his pocket for it as he added, “We’ll have a couple men stationed at the house. You’ll be completely safe.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Alex heard someone calling her name. It was faint, and she wished whoever it was would go away. She tried to sink back into the peaceful darkness, but the voice got louder. Though she fought it, her mind gradually cleared, and with lucidity came discomfort. Everything throbbed. Everything burned. Everything hurt.
But she recognized the voice. Quinn. She needed to see him. She needed... him.
She blinked. And there he was.
His jaw was covered in stubble, his dark hair mussed and standing on end, as if he’d run his hands through it repeatedly. His gray gaze was full of concern and exhaustion. And love.
Just like that, tears poured from her eyes.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he whispered, pulling his chair closer to the side of her bed. He wiped the tears away with his thumb, caressing the side of her tender face.
“Hi,” she said. The one word was shaky.
“You and the baby are going to be fine.” He brought her hand to his lips. “How are you feeling?”
Alex nodded, then shook her head. Her eyes welled with more tears, and she let out an unsteady breath. She had no idea how she was feeling.
She recalled seeing Doc Buchanan earlier, right after she’d regained consciousness. Things had been fuzzy, but she distinctly remembered that when he’d uttered those three little words—the baby’s okay—a relief unlike any she’d known had left her sobbing. A deep ache had filled her chest. Gratitude, appreciation, relief.
