Page 41 of Reclaiming Quinn
It took effort for Greiner to move, Deke could tell. He dragged himself across the floor until he got to where Deke sat. He reached out and cupped Deke’s foot in his hand, then brought it to his lips.
“Now apologize, and it better sound sincere.”
“I’m sorry, bi—Quinn. I was out of line. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Do you forgive him, Quinn? If not, I’ll make sure he regrets it.” Klein chuckled. “You could fuck his ass, if you wanted. Maybe he’d learn a lesson from that.”
“No, Master. I don’t want to… do that.”
Deke wouldn’t fuck anyone here if they paid him.
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
Klein moved fast and got to Greiner before he could react. He locked his hands around Greiner’s head and twisted, snapping Greiner’s neck with a sickening crunch. He let go, and Greiner’s body dropped to the floor, his head bent at an unnatural angle, eyes wide, staring up at nothing. Klein straightened and glanced down.
“You really should have gone ahead and fucked him. That would have taught him the lesson. But since you chose not to, this is on you.” He waved a hand in Greiner’s direction. “I’ll have someone come clean up the mess.” He smiled, and Deke’s stomach twisted. “Is there anything else you need?”
He was about to say no, wanting Klein as far away as possible, when an idea struck Deke. “Yes, Master. Is there anyone who can help me with my chores while I heal?” He ran a hand over his shoulder. “I can’t move my arm, and I’m afraid I won’t be much use.”
Klein scowled. “With Greiner gone, we’re shorthanded.” He snickered at his sick joke. “I have someone, but I don’t know how much use he’ll be. He’s a human, and his arm and leg are broken.”
Yes! That’s what Deke wanted. “Anyone would be of help, Master.”
When this was over, Deke would have to spend days scrubbing his mouth out to get rid of the nasty taste that word left in it.
“Fine, I’ll have him sent to you. Do what you want with him, because afterwards, he’s going to be… leaving us.”
Klein turned, strode out the door, and pulled it closed behind him. Deke breathed out, grateful he’d been able to at least save the man for now.
But what about the future? How can you save them all?
And wasn’t that the question.
QUINN PACEDin the suite, despite Sean’s request he sit. He peered out the window, but the grandeur of Chicago was lost on him now. All he could see was darkness and despair. Somewhere out there his mate had been stabbed, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it.
In his heart, Quinn knew he should hold Klein responsible, so why was he still so angry at Gareth and Lyram? Both men had been on the phone for the past several hours, doing their best to glean even the slightest bit of information, but Quinn couldn’t help the anger that threatened to break free at any moment.
From the glimpses Gareth was giving, Quinn felt certain he knew what Quinn was holding back. He was the Supreme Alpha, right?
“Quinn, we need to talk.”
He turned and found Gareth behind him. Funny how before this whole mess, he would have probably peed his pants, but right now there wasn’t any energy in him. He nodded numbly and followed Gareth through the living area and into the bedroom. Once they were both inside, Gareth closed the door.
“You’re angry. Hurt. You want someone to lash out at.”
They weren’t questions. “Yes.”
“Then here I am. Go for it.”
Quinn opened his mouth to say something, then snapped it shut and shook his head.
“You’ve got to let it out, you know. Holding it in is going to hurt you in the long run. Trust me, I know how you’re feeling. When I fought Ryker, Kristopher had a knife to Sean’s back. Ryker told me if I won, Kristopher would gut Sean, and if I lost, Ryker would do it. I remember feeling so helpless. Even after Sean assured me he’d be okay, my focus was split. If Sean hadn’t claimed me… if Mother Moon hadn’t stepped in….” He shook his head. “I would have died that day. Ryker had me beat, and I won’t deny that.”
“But you could see Sean, smell him. He was right there by you. I don’t know where Deke is and I… I hate it, okay? I thought when I was rid of Ryker, Deke became my master, and I was grateful. Deke was kind, considerate. He never made me feel bad about being his slave.”
“But you weren’t.”
Quinn snapped his gaze to Gareth’s. “Wasn’t I? I didn’t know he was my mate. All I knew was that I had to make him happy. I kept waiting for Deke to become a different person. To start making demands. To….”
