Breaking Shadows (Darkness Falls Book 2) Read online

  “It should. It means that no matter how hard we tried to keep your identity confidential, it’s already too late. Someone knows you were involved, and they found out really fast. How did they get your personal email?”

  “This isn’t my personal email; it’s my work one. I don’t give my personal email to very many people. But I’m more concerned if they know who I was helping.”

  “He can take care of himself. Don’t worry about him. He got you into this mess,” Caleb said with a slight edge in his voice.

  “How do you know who I was helping?” she asked with slitted eyes.

  “I only know what Ethan told me.” She had told Ethan he was an undercover cop. “He shouldn’t have involved you.”

  “Caleb, he was actually helping me. I got him into this mess. He was safely ensconced until I started nosing around looking for Becky. I was just trying to do something, help someone for a change.”

  “Honey, you really need to get over that mistake. He didn’t know the mistake he had made until it was too late. You know as well as I do that he went undercover in this case because of what happened to me.”

  Ethan looked startled.

  “Um, how do you know who we’re talking about?”

  “I know my husband. He gave it away with his expression alone. He’s a little slower than I am to forgive. And we will leave it at that.”

  Quinn smiled a sad smile. Officer Black had inadvertently let Kara go home with who he thought was an officer but ended up being part of the duo who had terrorized her all those years ago. Kara had forgiven him; she had told Quinn that all’s well that ends well. She considered Kara her best friend and confidante, along with Taylor and Vanessa Brenner, the four women had become very close. It was the first time Quinn had really made friends, and because of what Kara had gone through, not once, but twice, Quinn was beyond proud of her ability to forgive and forget. Harrison had worked hard to make up for the error, even though he honestly had no way of knowing that the officer he sent her with was the sadistic killer they had been looking for.

  “I’ll get there. I’m working on it. It’s just…”

  “Get there faster. I know what you went through. I was there. But certain people deserve a second chance; it could have easily been you that made a mistake.” Even though the conversation was serious, Kara laughed at the expression of outrage on Caleb’s face. “Yes, love, even the amazing Caleb Montgomery can make mistakes. As a matter of fact, you are making a colossal one by not forgiving him, and you know what? I still love you.” He smiled that dopey smile he wore more often than not around his wife.

  “I love it when you’re assertive and then give me a compliment, even if it is sarcastic.”

  “There was nothing sarcastic in that statement. Nothing.” Kara rolled her eyes at him.

  Ethan had been extremely still and silent during the exchange. Quinn glanced at him and did a double take. He was looking at her with an odd expression on his face. If she wasn’t mistaken, she would think it was longing and fear. What a weird combination of emotions to cover a person’s face. It made for a strange feeling to flutter around in her stomach. She didn’t know why he made her so nervous. Was she ready to allow herself to be interested in a man? More importantly, why did he look so scared for that brief instant? Slowly, he blinked, and in that blink, she watched him compartmentalize whatever had been bothering him and transform back into the sexy detective role he played.

  The role that he used to get people to trust and underestimate him. It was especially useful as a detective. According to Kara, he could charm just about anyone into confessing, and she believed that wholeheartedly, but that look also had women willing to take off their panties and throw them at him. He smoldered. But she saw through it all. Saw it for what it was. A defense mechanism. A fairly foolproof and effective one, but still just a mechanism to hide behind. She understood that need to barricade yourself away. The need to not let anyone too close, to not really trust anyone. After all, had she ever been completely honest with any of her friends? No. Hell, she hadn’t really allowed herself friends until recently, but she knew if the threat was gone, she would tell them, explain to them where she came from. She owed that much to Kara for trusting her so completely and to Ethan for no other reason than she didn’t feel they had a shot if he didn’t know her history.

  But not today; another day, if the threat was ever gone. When the threat was gone. When. She had to remind herself that it would be some day. Some. Day. She just hoped to see it before she was an old lady in a rocking chair by herself on her porch. When she realized she was still staring at Ethan and his cocky grin had faded, she looked away. Had he seen through her? Had he seen her like she had seen him? It terrified her. And yet, it enthralled her. To know that he was as intrigued by her as she was by him.

  “Earth to Ethan,” Kara said.

  He shook his head, breaking eye contact with her to look at his sister.

  “Yeah?”

  Did his voice sound hoarse? Or was it her imagination? She wanted him to be affected by her like she was by him, but maybe she was imagining things. In the end, it didn’t really matter; she wasn’t really free to explore things, anyway. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. Would it be so bad to figuratively let her hair down and have a one-night stand with him? How many other women had he diddled and still remained friends with after he walked away from them? Couldn’t they do the same thing? No. Quinn wasn’t that kind of girl. She suspected when she fell, it would be hard and forever. Not to mention she couldn’t betray Kara in that way, and it would be a betrayal to have sex with her best friend’s brother just because she had a scratch that seemed to need to be itched recently.

  “I was just saying that they sent me a text that Becky is back in her room. We can go up and talk to her, if you would like.”

  For a brief moment, a look crossed his face that led Quinn to believe he would prefer to do anything but go up there to speak to the emaciated girl and hear her horror story.

  6

  The ride in the elevator to see Becky was quiet. The silence was heavy—not awkward, but apprehensive. All of the people standing shoulder to shoulder with him had seen more than they should have, and the two women had endured more than any woman should have. Granted, he had never been told this about Quinn, but Ethan knew. He knew that something had happened to her. He’d been around enough people who had been abused—men, women, and children—to recognize an abuse victim. Her eyes were almost always shuttered, but for a moment, one small moment in the cafeteria, he had been able to see more in those beautiful hazel eyes. She had let the shutters open, and that was when Kara had called out to him. Had she realized what he’d seen?

  It wouldn’t surprise him. After all, Kara was fiercely protective of Quinn and Taylor. And they were equally protective of her. All three girls were linked by histories that no one should have. He was confident that at some point Quinn would tell him. That was what he saw when she had dropped her defenses for that brief moment. She wanted what she saw when she looked at Caleb and Kara. It was obvious for that one moment, and it had bolstered him. She just needed to trust him. Trust was one of the things that she coveted the most. She didn’t give it out to just anyone, and it took a long time to build that relationship with her, but she did allow people in. She trusted Kara, Taylor, and Vanessa. Quinn even trusted Caleb and himself. She just didn’t want to admit it out loud, and for her to trust them was a big deal, because he suspected that it was particularly hard for her to trust men. The wall she had built around her was built with pretty impressive bricks and mortar, and to crack the veneer was not an easy task.

  All Ethan knew for sure was that he would never make her doubt him. He just had to prove that to her. When the timing was right. Soon. He wasn’t willing to wait much longer. If she needed a little shove to see what she had in front of her, then he would do so. Of course, then he would hold out a hand to help hold her up.

  They had made it to the door of Be
cky’s room, and he sensed Quinn tense. He turned to look at her and saw that she had paled. It was a powerful and scary sight to see Quinn—fierce, proud, and tough Quinn—with her blonde pixie hair and hazel eyes scared, but that was what she was. She was terrified to go into that room and see that girl. The woman who had risked her life to get Becky to safety was now scared to see Becky. Without consciously realizing what he was about to do, he grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers. She flinched, and then, unbelievably, she squeezed his hand as if to thank him for realizing she needed something to anchor herself to.

  After that brief squeeze, she held his hand only a moment longer. Once Kara walked through the door, Quinn let go and went in after her, with Ethan and Caleb taking up the rear. Becky appeared to be sleeping in the hospital bed that seemed to swallow her up. And Ethan found himself feeling that familiar mixture of nausea and anger. Hospitals always made him think of those scary days after Kara had been rescued. She had looked so tiny in the hospital bed. Her body had been covered in multi-color bruises, cuts, scrapes, and bug bites. He had prayed to God over and over to help them find her, and then when she was found, he prayed for her to survive the night. When she’d survived the night, he’d prayed for her to wake up, and he prayed until she had. But when she opened her eyes, the Kara he’d always known wasn’t there. Her eyes had been vacant. Only recently had those eyes lit up.

  Becky’s parents, Frederick and Cynthia, were sitting in chairs beside the hospital bed. When they entered, her parents stood to greet them, introducing themselves to Quinn, but Ethan was looking at Becky in that bed. It sent him back to those terrifying days. When he got closer, Becky opened her eyes because she wasn’t sleeping at all. He saw the same vacant expression in her eyes as Kara’s held all those years ago. Lost, alone, frightened, and simply empty. He glanced at Kara and saw her tense. Ethan knew she saw it, too. Quinn had regained her composure, seemingly bolstered by the girl being awake and didn’t hesitate as she strode over to the bed and sat in the chair next to it.

  “Hi, Becky, do you remember me?” Her voice was soft, soothing. As if she were talking to a frightened animal, and perhaps, on some level, she was. Becky was certainly a frightened girl. Quinn reached to pick up the young girl’s hand and stopped when she saw the look of fear in her eyes. Slowly, she put her hand back down. “It’s okay. I won’t harm you. I brought you here. Do you remember?”

  There was a long pause before the slightest nod of the head to confirm that she did indeed remember Quinn.

  “This nice detective, I believe you met him last night, Detective Vanderbilt is his name; he would like any information you can give us. Anything that would help us put away the people that had you, so they can’t ever do it to anyone else again. Do you think you could help us?”

  Another pause. While she looked at each woman to each man, panic was still etched on her face. Ethan glanced at Quinn. He knew the magic she could work, but he wasn’t sure how she was going to pull this one off. The girl was clearly too traumatized right now to speak. Her mother began to protest when Quinn quietly lifted a hand to silence the woman.

  “Is it okay if I call you Becky?” Quinn inquired and waited for the small nod from her, then she continued, “I think it’s a bit crowded in here, don’t you? I think maybe we could ask Detective Montgomery and Dr. Montgomery to step into the hallway. But my friend, Detective Vanderbilt, would like to stay to take notes. What do you think?”

  If Ethan hadn’t been watching closely, he wouldn’t have seen the nod of her head, so slight, yet more confident than the other times she had answered Quinn’s questions. Both parents seemed to relax slightly when Becky responded. Ethan glanced at Caleb and inclined his head to the door. Kara and Caleb walked out, and he followed them.

  “I’ll hang out just outside the door,” Caleb said as soon as they were in the hallway. “Not offended in the least to be kicked out. Quinn was right, too many people in the room.”

  “I have to get down to the ER, anyway,” Kara said and kissed Caleb quickly on the lips. “See you later. Can you remind Quinn that we have lunch plans today? She might have forgotten, and I didn’t mention it at breakfast. I was preoccupied with the email she got.”

  “Absolutely. I’m going to head back in.” Ethan grabbed her quick and squeezed her tight. “Whatever is really going on and got you looking so dazed—and don’t even try to tell me it was a nightmare or the email—I just hope you will eventually confide in me.” The words were quiet, meant for only the three of them. After a quick kiss on her forehead, he looked her deep in the eye. “I love you, no matter what.”

  Kara chuckled a melodious sound that was music to his ears.

  “It’s nothing for you to worry about. Really, it isn’t. I just have my head in the clouds this morning, but there’s nothing you should stress about. Go do what you’re good at, and I’m going to do what I’m good at.” Subtle, he thought. In not so many words, she had politely told him to get out of her personal life and focus on his job. As she turned to walk away, she squeezed his forearm. Another way to show that he shouldn’t take offense to her shutting him out.

  “I suppose you won’t tell me what’s going on either?” he asked Caleb.

  “Like she said, it isn’t anything for you to worry about. Better get back in there.”

  Ethan let him sidestep it this time. But he knew something was up, and he planned on finding out what it was. Caleb was like a brother to him, but Kara was his sister first. He wouldn’t meddle, but he wanted to know what was going on. All couples fight, and he figured that Caleb and Kara were no different, so perhaps it was just a squabble that had them both jumpy. There was nothing he could do about it now. They would tell him when and if they wanted to. For now, he needed to get back to work.

  “Is that better? A little less claustrophobic in here, right?” Quinn was asking in a voice filled with empathy.

  “Th-thank you,” Becky responded. Her voice was raspy and weak, but she had spoken. Ethan struggled not to cry. Geez, he needed a vacation; he was feeling like a wuss. No, he needed to make who was responsible pay.

  “You don’t have to thank me. I just want to help you. If you need the room to be a little less full, then I make that happen.”

  “No. I meant, thank you for risking your life to save me.”

  “Like I said, no need to thank me. I would do it again.”

  “But why? I’m no one.”

  “I was no one once, too. Sometimes you can help yourself, and sometimes you need someone to help you.”

  “D-did someone help you?” the girl asked. She was able to pick up on the meaning behind the words that Quinn had spoken.

  “Not at first. At first, I had to help myself, but then someone helped me. So, you see, that’s why I would risk my life again and again to help you. Because when I was ready to give up, someone helped me.”

  And with that statement, Ethan was stuck between wanting to scoop her into his arms and say he was there now, when no one else had been or giving her a standing ovation for coming out of whatever hell she had endured, stronger and ready to give anything to help someone else. Much like Kara had. It was at that moment that he realized he was in serious trouble of losing his heart, because another little piece of him fell head over heels for Quinn Sanders, and it wasn’t that scary after all.

  Quinn had to swallow twice before she could speak, and even then, her throat was thick with unshed tears. This young girl didn’t need to thank her. Quinn would gladly risk her life for her all over again if it meant that she wouldn’t suffer another second. Even if Quinn had to lose her life to protect Becky, she would do it all again. Something had clicked in her when she heard about the possible location of the teenager. She meant it with every fiber of her being that she was there for Becky because when she was at her lowest, someone had been there for her. The only problem with her confession to Becky was the fact that Quinn hadn’t realized Ethan had come back in the room until she heard a small intake of breath. W
hen she turned, she saw him standing completely still, looking at her the same way he had in the cafeteria, as if scared she would disappear if he moved. And she felt like disappearing. Her story was not something she wanted to share with him, not yet anyway, maybe not ever.

  Quinn was thankful that the parents hadn’t stopped the interview, but they seemed as eager for answers as everyone else was, and they had moved to the other side of the room to allow Quinn to sit next to Becky while she spoke to her. She knew from the news stories that Mr. Plummer was CEO of a local bank and that Mrs. Plummer was actually a well-respected doctor. While they lived in Darkness Falls, neither worked there. Both were being very patient and respectful by allowing Quinn to conduct the interview without interrupting.

  “Were you taken, too? Like me?” The whispered question was almost lost in the large room.

  “Not exactly the same as you, but our stories are pretty similar. Someday I will share with you, but today I need you to share with me before you get too tired. Is that okay?” Quinn worried that the girl would clam up because she was pushing her, but she was more worried that the girl would fall asleep, and time was of the essence. They needed to find out what they could to pinpoint the leader of this sex ring before more kids fell victim to it.

  “Yeah. I mean, I can tell you everything I know. But it isn’t much.”

  “Why don’t you just start at the beginning? I’m sure whatever you can share will be helpful.” Hopefully. Otherwise, she was making her relive everything so soon without any real purpose, and they were back at ground zero.

  “Should I start from the day I was taken?”

  “However you want to tell us what happened works for us. If that’s where you’re comfortable starting, then start there. If there were other things that happened leading up to you being taken, then start there.”