Read His Rock & Roll Girl (Emerald City #2) Online
Authors: Allyson Lindt
Roz’s stomach plummeted into her shoes, and her head swam, dizzy with the ups and downs of the day. “What are you doing, Chuck?” She tried to keep her tone light, hoping this was all a joke.
“Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you again.” Chuck glanced in her direction for less than a second, before turning back to Quinn, who had stepped away, hands held at head-height.
One of Quinn’s hands twitched, and Chuck gave him his full attention. “Don’t move.”
Roz swayed on her feet, trying to process the moment on top of everything else. It didn’t make sense. Stepping into a world with flying monkeys and munchkins would have been less disorienting. “He wasn’t hurting me.”
Chuck’s laugh was hollow. “Have you ever listened to yourself? For real? I have, since I started working here. Every time his name comes up. Worst case of Stockholm syndrome ever.”
The term rolled over Roz, pushing her further into the surreal. “What the hell are you talking about? Do you even know what that means?”
“Think about it.” Chuck never looked at her, gun hand steady and gaze on Quinn. “Even if he never hit you, you’ve never gotten over his manipulative, psychological abuse. He’s been holding you captive even though you thought you’d left him. I’ve tried to talk you out of it. Show you what you’re missing. You still didn’t listen. Even after I threatened his life, tried to distract you to keep you apart. You still went back to him.”
She was going to be sick. Betrayal throbbed behind her eyes. Chuck had done this. The vandalism, the destroyed machinery… Death threats against Quinn? She swallowed the bile rising in her throat, but couldn’t get rid of the burn on the back of her tongue.
“I’m tired of hinting. It’s time to be direct.” He waved the gun at Quinn. “Don’t touch her again. Ever. Or I’ll kill you.”
Quinn roared and lunged, and Chuck fired at the pavement. Chunks of plas-crete fractured through the air, and the burning plastic smell mingled with the downpour. “Don’t,” Chuck said. “If your life doesn’t matter, I know what does.”
He pulled the trigger again, and Quinn’s howl split the night. Roz’s scream caught in her throat, choking her when he dropped to the ground, clutching his right hand. Her heart started beating again, pulse racing through her veins at full speed when she saw Quinn was still alive.
“You fucking asshole.” Quinn’s voice was ragged. “I’ll show you pain.”
God, she couldn’t let this happen. What was she supposed to do? “Chuck.” She forced her voice to stay steady, defying her rampant terror. “Chuck,” she said again.
“What?”
“You’re right.” She didn’t care that it was a lie. How badly was Quinn hurt? She needed to get him help. She had to do something to distract Chuck. “I was confused. You’ve always been there for me.”
“Nice.” Chuck kept the pistol trained on Quinn, but gave her half his attention. “Really pathetic, but cute. I don’t want you to fall into my arms and profess your love. I just want you to stay away from this bozo.”
She couldn’t say more—she didn’t trust herself to speak. She stepped closer, encouraged when he didn’t back away. Forcing the last of her hesitation aside, she rose on her toes, and kissed Chuck. The action repulsed her, but he was distracted, even if it was by hesitation. It was what she needed. She grabbed his bottom lip between her teeth and bit hard and fast.
“Fucking bitch.” He jerked away, and backhanded her with his pistol hand. The impact cracked into the night, and she staggered back, falling to her ass. Her vision swam in front of her. How much of the damp on her face was his blood? Hers? Just rain?
Quinn’s incoherent yell dragged her from her daze, and she looked up just in time to see him tackle Chuck. The pistol clattered away, and Quinn wrapped his hands around Chuck’s throat.
She needed to stop them. Her limbs wouldn’t work, though. She couldn’t find her voice.
“Freeze.” Light brighter than the summer sun lit the parking lot, casting the two men in silhouette and otherwise blinding her. “Hands in the air, everyone.” She didn’t know where the voice came from, but it throbbed in her head and joints. She obeyed, using the last of her coherent thought to keep from passing out in confusion and pain.
****
“It’s 3 am.” The groggy greeting carried over the line.
Roz would have smiled at the familiar voice, if she had any strength left. In the background, doctors and nurses rushed from one room to the next. Screams and babble punctuated the emergency room. “Scott? It’s Roz. Dorothy’s friend?”
“Yes. Rosalie Delia Meuse. I know who you are, Roz. I’m tired, not forgetful.”
For the first time in the long hours since the doctor told Quinn he’d probably never use his right hand again, relief trickled through her. “I know it’s the middle of the night, and I’m sorry, but I need a favor, please.”
“How bad is it that you’re calling your best friend’s ex instead of everyone else who falls before me on your contact list?” Exhaustion lined his question.
She wanted to snap at him. Tell him she wasn’t in the mood for his painful brand of reason. But she really did need a favor. “They won’t know this. I need the name of a surgeon. Someone you know who does CyGes work. Limb implants, things like that.”
“Not really my department.” His reply came more slowly, laced with hesitation. “For you?”
“No.” Her tired laugh slipped out on its own, and she swallowed it before it became hysterical. “For a friend. I know you know people. I just need a name.”
“You can’t call them at 3 am.”
“Scott.” She couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice.
“Yeah. I know someone. The best, I promise. I’ll send you her info. If you wait until sane hours to call her.”
“Thank you.” Some of the tension drained from her shoulders, as she disconnected her phone and dropped it onto the table next to Quinn’s bed.
He sat on the edge of the mattress. Dark circles lined his eyes, but a hint of a smile played on his lips. His right arm was taped to his body, more to keep him from jarring the damaged hand than anything else. “Thanks.” He held out his good arm.
She stepped closer, and let him wrap it around her waist. He kissed her forehead, and she sank into him.
Because of the break-in at her office earlier, the police had been patrolling the area. When Chuck had fired the gun, they’d been nearby, called for backup, and beat a rapid path to her parking lot. After they’d straightened out the confusion about who was assaulting whom, Chuck had been taken into custody, and Roz and Quinn had been shoved into an ambulance with an escort trailing behind, so they could answer questions once the doctor cleared them as okay.
The full impact of the day sank in, and tremors rocked through Roz’s body. She couldn’t hold back the rush of adrenaline…and everything else.
“Hey.” Quinn’s breath was warm against her neck. He nuzzled her skin. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
She nodded, and dragged in a shaky breath.
“The insurance will pay for the surgery.” He trailed kisses over her shoulder, fingers dancing along her spine. “The policy they have on my hands is ludicrous.”
For some reason the notion made her laugh. “They don’t actually do that.”
“I swear they do.”
“But you’ll still need time to recover.” She realized. “What about your tour?”
“We’ll cancel. There’s no way around it. Iris will be pissed, but what’s she going to do? Besides”—he tugged her closer—“I’ll be out for at least six months. Enough time for us to start getting reacquainted.”
The words warmed her from the inside out, chasing away more of her stress. “That means you’re staying here. In boring old Emerald City.”
“I meant what I said earlier. I love you, Zee. Even if this hadn’t happened, I’d do what it took to prove it.”
She smiled, though he couldn’t see it, and rested a cheek against his chest. “So I’ll have a boyfriend with a synth hand. Morgana will be so jealous.”
“Fuck Morgana.” His teasing words vibrated through her cheek.
“Don’t you dare.” There was no power in her reproach. “I want to be more than just your flavor of the week.”
“You’re my one and only.” He kissed the top of her head and trailed his fingers through her hair. “I know I’ve been stubborn, pretending the blame for our problems rested on you, that I was above things like caring, but I’ve always wanted you. I’ve been drowning without you.”
Always. She liked the sound of that. It wouldn’t be quite that easy—she knew they still had things to work on—but she loved the promise in his words anyway. They’d work on their always together.
THE END
~*~If you enjoyed Quinn and Roz’s second chance romance, check out
Denial of Interest (Version 2.0 Book 1)
. After successfully avoiding her ex-boyfriend for years, suddenly Rae is seeing Zach everywhere, including her explicit, rampant imagination. When he proposes a single night together for closure, she hopes it will be just what she needs to move on. ~*~
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