Always and Forever (27 page)

He reached for her hand and held it in his strong, warm one. "It isn't that. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Too late for that," she said but when she saw the guilt, she wished she could rip her own tongue out.

"I'm sorry, Gabriel, I didn't mean that the way it came out," she tried to rectify.

"Knowing that you could have died because of Derek, because I put you in his path, makes me feel very protective of you."

Quinn was about to say she could take care of herself but, honestly, having this man looking out for her made her feel very warm and fuzzy and so instead she said with sincerity, "Thank you."

He kept her hand and started down the street again. "Let's eat. I'm starved."

At the restaurant, he watched her. He could have spent eternity just watching her. He loved the way her eyes sparked silver when her emotions were up, how her skin flushed a lovely rose when embarrassed, how she used all of her senses when she was experiencing new things. She was an active participant in life and was able to find joy in even the smallest of situations. He liked being with her. In truth, he craved her company above all others. And he couldn't explain why. He placed his glass down before he asked, "Tell me about yourself, Quinn."

He watched as her delicate fingers drew a pattern on the tablecloth before she turned her attention to him.

"There really isn't much to tell. You know my background, you hired me," she offered with a smile.

"What's your interest in the Scarcliff family?" he asked.

She thought about seeing the castle sitting abandoned so many years ago but she supposed, in this reality, that was never the case so instead she said, "They've made wonderful contributions to England and the world and as an anthropologist, I'm intrigued."

Gabriel reached across the table and took her hand into his. "I think there's more to it but I won't push. Yet."

Quinn was taken back a bit at that. Had he figured it out, that her imagination wasn't all that great and that the magical tale she shared with him was really nonfiction? She hadn't gone into detail with names when she shared her story but all the same, had he figured out that her interest in the family was because she had lived with them and loved them in their time? Would he believe her or would he call for the men with the straight jacket?

Gabriel released her hand before he said, "I've scared you. Sorry."

"No, not scared, but I will say you are a very astute and intense person."

He reached for his glass, avoiding her gaze, and though his voice was casual somehow Quinn knew her answer to his next question was very important.

"You aren't fond of intense people are you?"

"Actually, quite the contrary, I find I'm wildly attracted to one specifically intense person," she said and stared at him hard.

His eyes locked onto hers as desire turned them darker and when he spoke she wasn't sure if his words were meant as a promise or a threat. "Be careful because once you let me in, there's no going back."

Gabriel sat back in his leather chair and looked into the fire. He didn't understand what was happening to him and how it was happening but just being with Quinn, being able to touch her again, made him feel profoundly grateful.

As for Derek, he'd always thought of him as a pompous jackass, but now he knew he was far worse than that. Hidesight was 20/20 and for Gabriel to know what he knew now and to know that he had willingly put Quinn in Derek's sphere, dumbfounded and enraged him.

He'd been watching Derek, particularly his obsessed interest in the Scarcliff's. Gabriel was surprised that he hadn't noticed before, how often Derek's path crossed with the Scarcliffs. Once or twice due to the nature of his work was acceptable, but dozens of times was bordering on stalking which was probably what stirred Nicholas' concern.

Derek couldn't be trusted, he wanted something that belonged to the Scarcliffs, and Gabriel was certain that Quinn was linked to whatever it was that Derek was seeking.

What was it that the Scarcliffs had that held such interest for Derek? Gabriel hadn't been able to figure out that part of the puzzle yet and he felt he was running out of time.

Quinn arrived at the Scarcliff Foundation just after it opened and Gabriel suggested a tour.

She had already seen the main rooms so Gabriel was taking her behind the scenes where they were studying the artifacts found during recent digs -- including some of Derek's digs. The first room they entered was the cleaning room where the artifacts were delicately cleaned before they were catalogued. As they walked past the tables, Quinn noticed pieces of pottery, old nails, horseshoes, a porcelain doll.

"Are they going to do thermoluminescence dating on those pieces of ceramics?" she asked.

Gabriel grinned before he replied, "Yes."

Quinn wondered why he was grinning at her like that but forgot to ask when she got a look at the equipment in the next room they entered.

"Oh my God! You have an ICP-MS!" she nearly swooned, "Oh, I am so jealous. Have they identified any interesting trace elements in Whispering Winds soil?"

He was charmed by her unbridled passion before he said, "I honestly don't know. I'm not all that involved in the analysis."

She could barely contain herself as they continued through the room and her fingers were itching to get involved.

They reached another door which Gabriel held open for her as he explained, "In the next room are some artifacts that have already been cleaned and cataloged which I know you will enjoy."

The excitement surged through her; the same excitement she always felt at the discovery of finding something buried and hidden away from human eyes. As soon as they entered the room, Quinn was drawn to one specific artifact and the sight of it had her heart pounding hard in her chest. Without a word she walked over to it and just stood silently staring. Without taking her eyes from it, she asked, "It's been dated?"

"Yeah, early 1700s. They found it in the basement of one of the old tenant houses. Amazing, considering the conditions it was stored in, that it's in such good condition."

"My God," she whispered as she reached out and touched her finger to the old wood seat that Archer had once sat upon.

"People are debating what it is but I swear it looks like a primitive dunking tank," Gabriel seemed to be asking her a question without asking one at all. But Quinn was lost in her thoughts.

For the rest of the tour, she was unusually quiet and when he brought her up to the security office, she was very reserved when meeting his team. After, they sat in his office but Quinn had hardly recovered.

"What's going on, Quinn?" Gabriel asked gently.

She seemed almost surprised when she looked up to see him sitting opposite her. "Nothing. Thanks for the tour."

"Would you tell me again about your dream," he asked, "the one you had during your coma?"

"Not today," Quinn could hardly hold back her tears.

"Can I ask why?"

His probing seemed to agitate her and she answered rather curtly, "Why do you care so much?"

"Because it seems that it's very important to you," he said evenly.

"And that's important to you because?" her unfinished question hung between them.

"Because you are important to me."

There were so many emotions racing through Quinn. And his innocent comment nearly pushed her over the edge. To look at this man who reminded her of Archer and who she was undeniably drawn to, to see the dunking tank which was proof positive that her coma-induced dream hadn't been a hallucination at all, was just too much for her. Quinn stood. "I should go. Thank you, really, for the tour."

She started for the door but his next words stopped her in her tracks: "I think Derek orchestrated the accident. I think he wanted you away from Whispering Winds so he would have the place to himself to find whatever the hell it is he's looking for."

Quinn's eyes narrowed slightly sizing up Gabriel. "So you think he's up to no good, too?"

"Yes, but I haven't been able to figure out what he's looking for."

"Any thoughts at all?" Quinn asked.

"Well, I think it's more a family legend than actually real, but Nicholas mentioned the Scarcliff treasure, a treasure from Archer's time. But what it is and where it's located is a mystery."

Quinn thought on that for a moment. "If Derek was after that then why would he be digging? Unless..."

Gabriel loved watching her as she reasoned it out, loved how her mind worked. But when she didn't continue, he asked, "Unless what, Quinn?"

She waved his question off and took a step toward him as she changed the direction of her thoughts and asked, "I imagine there were some satellite imagery and geophysical surveys done with magnetometers before the area was excavated, right?"

"Yes," he replied.

"The Foundation must have copies. Has anyone, outside of Derek's team, reviewed them to see what it was he found that made it worth the time and expense to dig where he's digging?" Quinn continued.

"Based on the findings, it makes no sense why he's digging where he is, why he is consistently digging four kilometers from the castle in each cardinal point. It's as if he knows something no one else does."

A thought popped into Quinn's head and she grinned. "It's very much like a little kid's game of finding buried treasure. You know, walk twenty paces and X marks the spot."

She could see them doing it too. Archer, Thaddeus, little Nickie leading Derek on a wild goose chase for buried treasure. Did they know what treasure he was after? Had they figured out the mystery?

"What are you thinking?" Gabriel asked her.

"I think someone just may be pulling a con on the con-artist."

A few nights later Quinn invited Gabriel over so she could pick his brain about what else he had learned while working at the Scarcliff Foundation.

She had gone back in time, somehow, and had spent those wonderful months with Archer, Nicholas and Thaddeus. They weren't figments of her imagination and though she wasn't at the point where she could read about how they spent the rest of their lives, knowing that they had lived was a great comfort to her.

Ever since the dunking tank, Quinn couldn't get the idea out of her head that maybe there were other things left for her in the castle or just outside of it. Suddenly, she remembered Morgan O'Cuinn's grave -- or lack thereof.

"Quinn, are you still with me? You look completely zoned out."

She saw humor in his expression when she lifted her face to his. "Sorry. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Have you found any records on Morgan O'Cuinn? More specifically, where she's buried?"

"Not records, no. But then with the mystery surrounding her death, it's not really surprising."

That got Quinn's attention. "Mystery? I thought she died in childbirth?"

"What makes you say that?"

Oh, she wasn't going to go there...not yet! "It was very common for women to die in childbirth so I just assumed that was what happened to her."

"She survived childbirth but it wasn't long after that her body was found on the river bank near the castle."

Quinn went completely still at that announcement. Gabriel reached for her hand. "What is it?"

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"The lack of information piqued my interest so I paid the O'Cuinn family a visit in Ireland," he said casually.

"There's still O'Cuinn's?" Quinn almost exploded.

"Yeah. And I have to say, the story they told me was really so far out there that I was certain they were making it up. But now I'm not so sure."

"What did they tell you?"

Gabriel brushed his finger over her knuckles before he suggested, "Maybe it would be best to let them tell you."

Quinn nearly jumped up from her spot on the sofa to go pack but stopped short and asked, "They wouldn't mind the intrusion?"

"Not at all. In fact, I know they would love to meet you," Gabriel offered cryptically.

"Why?"

"And spoil the surprise? No way."

"Gabriel, why are you so interested in the Scarcliff's?"

It was on his lips to tell her. His interest wasn't in the Scarcliffs, but he just wasn't ready yet so he gave only a half truth, "Nicholas is a really good friend."