Always and Forever (36 page)

"No!" he roared in anguish as he pulled his shirt over his head and pressed it to the wound but he knew when her eyes fixed on his that she was leaving him and this brought searing pain to his chest. He watched as the light of her life started to dim and she reached for his hand to hold it over her heart. Love flickered in her eyes and then her body spasmed and the hold on his hand weakened. Her beautiful eyes dimmed until they looked at him but did not see.

Gabriel woke with a start as his heart pounded hard against his ribs. He reached for Quinn, who was sleeping peacefully at his side, and pulled her into his arms. She sighed and in sleep her arms came around him to hold him close. He pushed the last remnants of the nightmare from his mind as the reassurance of her warm body cradled against his settled him back into sleep.

The attic was huge, damp, musty and so full of dust that Quinn felt her sinuses packing up to leave. Gabriel was called away for a meeting and wasn't expected home until the morning so she decided to explore the attic: the last place in the house that she had left to see. As she walked around poking into the boxes Quinn wondered if any of this could possibly be from Archer's time. How many families had owned this house after Archer's father and before Gabriel?

She didn't know how long she spent going through the boxes but clearly there had been many families who called this place home, based on the span of years for the items that were left behind. It was in the last box that Quinn made a disturbing discovery. This box was filled with stuff on Gabriel, pictures of him when he was younger, articles on his businesses, even an old news clipping. She pulled it out and sat down on the floor to read it and felt a shiver of dread when she read about his attempted murder. Quinn was happy to read that they caught the shooter but it was disturbing to learn that someone had tried to kill him. There was no date on the article but the thought that Gabriel almost died terrified Quinn. Who would want to kill him? And why hadn't he ever mentioned it to her?

She left the attic and decided to have dinner in his room while she watched some television. Later, she grew bored so shut off the television and walked into the dressing area just so she could smell him and feel closer to him. There was a well-worn shirt in the back of his closet, clearly a favorite of his, so she slipped out of her own clothes and pulled the soft cotton over her skin. His scent enveloped her as she closed her eyes and breathed him in. She walked back to the bed and climbed in but as soon as she rolled onto her side, she felt something sharp digging into her ribs. She reached down and found a concealed pocket on the inside of the old oxford and that was when she found the ring, a wedding ring of diamonds and platinum. But it was the inscription on the ring that broke her heart.

Always and Forever, Gabriel

She just sat there holding the ring, evidence that his heart had belonged to someone else, someone he clearly loved deeply because he still carried her ring. It was then that she remembered Ireland and the look of devastation on Gabriel's face. He had lost his wife. How could he fail to tell her something as significant as the fact that he had, at one time, been married and that his wife had died? He didn't tell her of the murder attempt. What else hadn't he told her?

She couldn't describe the emotions that were running rampant in her at the thought of Gabriel loving another, marrying another. She pulled the shirt off and headed back into the dressing room to dress in her own clothes. Her vision blurred as she blindly stuffed things into her bag. She had really believed that she and Gabriel had something special, rare enough that even time couldn't keep them apart, but how special could it be if he had married another? She wiped at her eyes as she placed the ring into the pocket of the shirt then hung it back where she found it. She finished packing and called for a cab and then she made her way downstairs to the front door but was stopped by Mr. Payne.

"Quinn?"

"Please. I need to leave."

"Shouldn't you wait until Gabriel comes back?" he asked, his expression was one of sympathy.

"I can't."

"Whatever you think you know he deserves to explain himself."

"Let her go, Tommy." Mrs. Payne offered but there was a tone in her voice that had Quinn eying her and it was then that Quinn realized, despite her manners, Mrs. Payne was not a big fan of hers.

Quinn dismissed Mrs. Payne's obvious disregard and met Mr. Payne's gaze squarely. "There isn't an explanation that can make it any better."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked and in that moment he looked so very wise.

Quinn thought of Gabriel loving a woman so much that he married her, one whose ring he still carried around with him, before she replied, "Yes."

Mrs. Payne disappeared inside and moments later the cab arrived. Quinn hugged Mr. Payne.

"Take care of him."

And without another word she walked down the path and climbed into the cab.

Gabriel could not wait to get home to see Quinn. He missed her so damn much. When he walked into his house, he called out her name, dropped his bags by the door and started towards the stairs, taking them two at a time. He worked the tie from his neck as his long legs carried him down the hall towards his bedroom, their bedroom, and caught himself grinning at the thought that she was already in bed. He wasn't going to let her out of it for at least twenty-four hours, maybe forty-eight.

He couldn't help feeling disappointment when the room was empty, not even her scent hung in the air, but it wasn't until he walked into the dressing room to change that he realized something was wrong. Her things were gone and as he pulled the drawers open he felt panic grip him. A quick search of the bathroom showed her things were cleared out of there too. He was just coming from his room, heading down the hall, when Mr. Payne appeared and he knew from the saddened look on the butler's face that Quinn had left him.

"Where the hell is she?"

"She left last night and by the look of her something she discovered devastated her."

Gabriel felt his throat closing up even as self-loathing burned through him. He turned and disappeared into his room. He just stood there blindly staring at the wall. He hadn't come this far to fuck it all up now, he needed to find her. He started to pull his clothes from the closet to pack when he noticed the shirt in the back, hanging slightly askew on the hanger. He reached for it and pulled out the ring, felt the anger rising in him. Damn, no wonder she left. He should have told her. He pocketed the ring and finished packing. He'd find her and explain everything, like he should have from the very beginning.

Two days later, Gabriel stood in Quinn's cottage but she clearly hadn't come back here. Cole and Nick stood next to him.

"What the hell is going on?" Cole asked.

"You need to tell him, Gabriel." Nick offered quietly.

Gabriel was so angry at himself and how his hesitation in telling Quinn everything had inadvertently hurt her. He had to find her but first he had some explaining to do. He looked at Nick for a minute before he turned to Cole. "This is a conversation best had over scotch."

Quinn was walking down Grafton Street in Dublin. She should be in her hotel room looking over the file she had collected from Charles before leaving the Cotswolds so abruptly a week ago but she couldn't get Gabriel off her mind. They needed to talk but she just wasn't ready for that conversation: to hear the details of his marriage and his wife.

It wasn't a coincidence that she came to Gabriel's birth place and as she walked along, despite the tourists and the history, Quinn couldn't imagine a seven-year-old surviving these streets because they were definitely a bit scary. As if on cue, her cell phone rang.

"Quinn, it's Tessa. I've been thinking about who could have been working with Derek, who would have known what the glyphs meant, and there really can only be one person. She studied with us at University and did her dissertation on Mayan mediation rituals. You actually met her a few times. Anyway, I've been doing a bit of research on her and have found several publicity photos of her with Derek from his earlier digs but nothing lately."

"Can you send me a copy of her photo?" Quinn asked.

"Yes." Tessa replied.

"What's her name?"

"Constance Danvers."

"Shit," Quinn said under her breath.

"What?" Tessa asked in concern.

"Long story. How much do you think she would have aged based on your theory?"

Tessa exhaled loudly. "It's just a guess and it all depends on how many times she went back."

"I know, but ballpark. Say she went back at least fifteen times?"

"Then I would say anywhere from 35 to 40 years give or take a few years."

"Thanks, Tessa."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, actually. Do you still have that friend who works for the FBI?"

"Yes, why?"

"Do you think he would mind aging your picture of Constance?"

"He actually owes me a few, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll send you both photos in a few days. Does that work?"

"I owe you now, too."

Tessa's laughed a reply, "This is actually fun, I feel like Nancy Drew. But I'll collect don't you worry."

Quinn stopped at the Brazen Head Pub for dinner and was surprised by the age of the place most particularly the sign declaring it opened in the late 1100s. The age of Europe was what brought Quinn here from the United States in the first place. As much as she loved home, it didn't have the history that the European and Asian countries had. She settled at the bar and ordered a glass of wine and a plate of Bangers and Mash. There was a lively band playing and Quinn thought about her evening with Gabriel at Jack O'Shea's pub.

There were photos all over the walls and Quinn scanned them quickly to find Gabriel. He was younger, maybe ten years younger so late twenties. He still had that hardness about him but knowing how he grew up she understood. He really did wear his hard won battles on his face. When the bartender, a bull of a man named Broderick, came over to place her dinner before her, Quinn asked him about the photo.

"Do you know that man?"

Broderick turned to the photo for a moment. "Oh yeah, Gabe, he's a good buddy of the owner. Bit of a legend around these parts, scrawny kid from the streets and now he's almost as rich as the Queen."

"Do you know if he's married?"

"Married? Gabe? I don't think so. There was a blonde that used to come around for him back in the day but I haven't seen her in a while. Never really got the impression that Gabriel was ever into her."

After a delicious meal and indulging in a second glass of wine, Quinn paid her tab and was preparing to leave when the door in the back opened. A man walked out and she knew her face paled because she literally felt all of the blood drain from it. The hair was different, not as long and more blond, but the face, the eyes and the body were exactly the same: Thaddeus. Broderick came over at that moment to take Quinn's glass away.

"Is that the owner?"

Quinn knew her voice sounded odd but shock often did that to her.

"Yeah, Shane O'Conner."