Quinn I (Undaunted Men #1) (19 page)

I sit up, a bit startled, watching Quinn and Kimber stealthily moving around, and I can detect the tension quickly growing in the air. Quinn hushes Kimber, gives her a few hand signals that I don't understand, and then stands up, looking around into the deep forest. He reaches his hand out to me in a silent gesture for me to get up and go with him.

Kimber is on his heels as he quickly leads us through the brush and away from our camp. We stay within the camp’s proximity, so we can still see everything; yet, we're far enough away to stay hidden and out of sight. We are all crouched down behind some overgrown shrubs. He signals for Kimber to lay down and stay quiet, and like a good girl, she obeys. Remarkably, she’s eerily quiet.
 

My heart pounds in my ears. I’ve been too confused and speechless while watching the events unfold, and when I finally gather my wits to ask what the hell is going on, Quinn cuts his icy blue gaze to mine. I swallow hard as he slowly slices his finger across his throat, clearly indicating I’m to remain silent. His look is fierce; so much so, I’d never want to be on the wrong side of that glare.
 

He jerks his head to the left in the direction of our camp at the sound of more snapping twigs. Two broad men come into view, and then stop in the center of our camp. They turn around in a slow circle, as if they’re looking for something, and I’m guessing it was us.

“This is Alexis' pack, and it looks like she’s got company,” the dark-haired man says to his younger partner.

“Everything’s right on target.” The younger guy looks around, pointing his pistol at our sleeping bags, as if he’s expecting us to pop out of the fabric.
 

“Maybe they went to get water or something.”

“What do you suggest we do now?” the younger guy asks.

“I say we hide out close by, wait ’til they come back, and then ambush them.”

“Sounds like a plan,” the younger guy replies. Both men eye our stuff over, but they never rummage through our gear. “I hope this goes off without a hitch, or that Vince guy is going to be pissed. He seems like the unforgiving type.”

I’m frozen in a state of shock.
Oh, my God. What the hell is this? They're looking for me because of Vince!
I’ve been discovered!
I realize at this point I can never truly escape. Vince can get to me anywhere. An uncontrolled whimper of fear escapes me. I slam my hand over my mouth and look to Quinn, my eyes wide and full of apology for making a sound. His jaw clenches, but he only flashes me a glance, his sights and attention are fully focused on those men.

The older man kicks some dust into our little fire pit in a show of frustration that we aren’t there. “Yeah, men like him don't do well with mistakes so we don't need to screw this one up. C’mon, let’s go before they come back. I want to be the one to have the element of surprise.”
 

They both turn to leave, and before I know it, I’m watching Quinn and Kimber’s backsides. I swear the man must have Native American Indian in his blood by the way he moves soundlessly and swiftly through leaves and underbrush. I never heard them leave my side. My hand covers my mouth in horror as I watch Quinn tackle the older man from behind, and in the very same moment, Kimber leaps onto the back of the younger guy. Both men simultaneously crash to the ground with screams of surprise, masking the sounds of twigs breaking and snapping from their falling weight.

Neither one of those men could’ve seen this coming; they never knew what hit them. Quinn flips the man onto his back, and I watch as he raises his fist high in the air and then pummels down against the man’s cheek relentlessly. Quinn is shirtless, and I watch every muscle in his back flex with power as he delivers potent blows, to the point I think he's going to knock the man out any second.

Both men are thrashing around on the ground, screaming as they try in vain to protect themselves. Kimber has her teeth sunk in deep, biting into the younger man’s arm as she lets out a wicked growl, mauling her enemy. The man's cries are soul-shattering screams for mercy, but he can't shake Kimber off him. It's the most terrifying sight I've ever seen.

Echoing screams fill the air, depending on who’s getting hit or bitten. The older man, even though he’s a big guy, never stood a chance against Quinn and his strength. A few more violent blows and kicks, and the man is rendered useless. He’s cursing and gasping for air as he rolls around on the ground with his hands wrapped around his gut, but I can't hear him for the younger man’s screams.

Quinn disarms the man first before turning his attention to Kimber. It takes him yelling at her three times in order for her to back off her attack victim. The guy sits up and rocks back and forth, cradling his arm while howling out against the pain. Blood, lots of blood, is dripping down his arm. The shock of it all starts to register, and I begin to tremble.
 

Quinn bends down to grab the man’s pistol, which he’d dropped when Kimber had attacked him, and then he slips the gun behind the waistband of his camo pants. He’s breathing heavily as he points his gun back and forth between the two men, angry as hell.
 

“Stand up,” he roughly commands. Both men struggle to their feet as they grunt in pain. I’m not so sure the older man can stand up after what Quinn did to him, but somehow, he manages.

Kimber growls and haunches down on her hind legs, her hackles standing straight on end, vibrating with the need to attack again. She’s virtually dying to finish the job she started. I didn’t know she had it in her. She’s been nothing but a gentle teddy bear with me.
   

Each man stands, hunched over and holding their wounded extremities, gasping for air. “What the fuck is going on?!” Quinn barks angrily at them. Both men exchange a glance, trying to silently communicate with each other, but Quinn isn't allowing it. “I’ve got a nice new silencer on this pistol…been wanting to try it out. Trust me, with my background and training, I won’t hesitate to use it.”
His tone is dark and dangerous
, and his broad stance and demeanor of self-confidence has these men frozen in fear, believing his every word. Hell, I believe his every word.

“We were sent to track Alexis,” the younger guy quickly blurts out, coming clean. The older man glances at the squealer, looking seriously pissed off about his buddy’s confession.

Quinn tilts his head to the side in question. “Mind telling me how the hell you tracked her?”

The older man shuffles his feet, looking nervous. I know the games these men play, and I can see the very look on his face as he debates how much information he can spill and yet still protect his valuable life. My dad had always sheltered me from these scenarios, but I’ve seen Vince in action one too many times to know how they play.

Quinn lifts his gun, aiming it at the older man, and he quickly throws up his arms in surrender. “There’s a tracker in her backpack somewhere. I don’t know where it is. I didn’t put it there.”

“What do you want with her?” Quinn harshly interrogates.
 

“We only wanted to talk,” the man says nervously. Which is a lie, because Vince sent them to retrieve me. I guess Quinn missed that little part. I don't know what I'd been thinking, running off to these trails. There is no way I will be able to ever escape Vince’s clutches. If it weren't for Quinn and Kimber, I would've been taken hostage by now. An ominous shiver rolls through me. I realize I need them...I need them to help me make it to the safe house in one piece.

“Bullshit,” Quinn growls, poking the steel barrel into the man’s chest with force. “Guns were drawn, and I heard the word ambush. That does not equal a nice chat in the woods.”

The younger man is less experienced. I can tell because he looks as if he wants to cry. I’m right, because he’s the first to spill the rest of the beans. “She’s wanted back home. She’s considered dangerous.”
Oh, boy.
 

“Is that right?” Quinn asks, turning his attention to the nark while arching a brow.

“Please, don’t kill us. I swear this was all we were told. We don’t even know her. We made an anonymous phone deal, and our only job was to retrieve her.”

Quinn processes their information in silence for a minute before he barks out a command, “Strip.”

The men’s eyes bug out as they both say, “What?” in unison.
 

“You can keep your shoes and your underwear, but your pants and shirts are mine.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh…I’m deadly serious. Would you like my dog to help you?” Quinn threatens.

The men begin to strip down, and the look in their eyes is one of worry and nervousness. I watch Quinn as he takes their firearms and throws them out of reach and onto our sleeping bags. When the men are half naked, Quinn takes their garments and tosses them into the embers of the fire.
 

Turning to face them, his tone is wickedly ominous. “You go back and tell whoever wants her, it will be over my dead body.”

As much as I didn’t want to, I believed those men. I don’t think they knew any more than their assigned task, which was to grab Alexis and take her God knows where. They didn’t look mafia-related, but they sure as hell were criminal material. Judging by their demeanor and drawn guns, they had every intention to shoot and slay whoever got in their way, and it was obvious they were going to take her by force.
 

I don’t know who’s after her, but they made it quite clear they were not messing around. They wanted her bad, real bad. Thankfully for Lexi, there has never been a time when I’m not on high alert. Even at home, I’m constantly aware of my surroundings. Due to my background and the undercover jobs I’ve had over the years, I’ve trained myself to always sleep with one eye open, and live with my guard up around the clock. Kimber goes without saying; she can always sense danger. However, when Lexi made that phone call, talking about her location, I knew from that moment on I needed to stay on my toes.

I don’t care what Moretti says or does from this point on. I’m going fucking rogue. This shit just got very real. The tables have turned, and the plans have changed. Those men would’ve killed me without hesitation to get to her. I’m sure of it. I don’t know who the hell I’ve got on my tail now, but it’s not safe, and it’s certainly not safe to hand her over to her father. Knowing what I know about the danger following her, he’d want me to keep her out of harm's way. So much for her father's diplomacy and the enemy putting down arms in the name of Alexis Moretti.
 

I reward Kimber with multiple pats on the head and give her verbal praise. She saved our lives, and I have no words for that. I can only imagine the heroic things she did in the military while serving her country with unreserved passion. This is why dogs are fucking awesome.

Alexis comes up behind me and touches my shoulder, startling me. I spin around and grab her by the shoulders, shaking her more roughly than I mean to. “Did you know those men?” Accusation lines my voice because I’m desperate for answers.

She adamantly shakes her head, “No, I swear.”

“Do you have something to tell me, Sunshine?” I bite out angrily, my chest still rising and falling in quick succession from the adrenaline rush.

“Quinn, I don’t understand. You’re scaring me. Why do I feel like you’re accusing me of something I didn’t do?” Her eyes scream innocence, but my former military training has already kicked in, and I’m in asshole mode.
 

I think of the murder her dad told me about, and I have to consider if it’s actually true. Did she kill someone? Are those family members after her now? I’m ready for answers. I’m done playing Mr. Nice Guy. She’s going to need to come clean.
 

I do know this; if two men had been sent after her and failed, someone is going to be extra pissed. I know once this person gets the news of those men turning up empty-handed, quadruple the men will be sent after her, and that simply can’t happen, not on my watch.
 

I look around the campsite and spot her backpack. I roughly let her go and stalk over to where it’s lying on the ground, underneath the tarp. Alexis is on my heels, worry and confusion evident in her voice. “What are you doing? Where are you going?”

I ignore her questions as I reach down and begin emptying out the contents of her backpack. I search everything that comes out of it with an eagle eye.

“Quinn! That’s my stuff! I can do that!”

I pay no heed to her as I continue my task, creating a pile on the ground of her personal items. “What the fuck?” I drawl out my words, bewildered. My entire hand is vibrating. I pull the questionable item out of the bag and hold the device up in the air in front of me. Briefly confused, my forehead wrinkles for a moment as I try to figure out what the hell I'm holding. As Lexi freaks out, enlightenment comes over me, and then it registers what this purple thing is. I arch a brow and look at her in complete astonishment. Red-hot heat flushes her face.
 

“Really? Just…really, Lexi?” I ask with agitation. I try to turn the damn thing off, but I can’t figure out how. I grow frustrated with the fucker, and I'm about to chuck it out into the woods, but she steps forward, snatching the vibrator from my hands.