Give Me Strength (37 page)

“… and then I stared at Travis in utter shock,”
I continued, “and said ‘That’s my father. You just punched my
father. In the face.’”

Shrieks of laughter broke out, and Mac started
gasping for breath. “Oh my God,” she wheezed. “What an asshead!
That’s brilliant. I can live on that for
years
.”

The door to my hospital room burst open, and
Travis strode through, Casey hot on his heels. His frown was fierce
and he made sure it took in all of us.

The chuckles died off.

A false cough rang out.

“What the hell is going on in here?” he
thundered. “Quinn...” he pointed at me, and I bit the insides of my
cheeks to hold back the laughter “...is supposed to be resting, and
you’re all having a bloody party.”

Mac made a noise that sounded like the
high-pitched whine of a dog, forcing everyone to turn and look at
her. Her face was a tad red, her eyes watering a little.

“You punched Quinn’s father,” she choked out,
unable to help herself. “In the face.”

Casey cleared his throat.

Evie choked on a chip.

I giggled.

Instead of the expected irritable retort, Travis
swung his eyes to me and the anger in them softened. He chuckled.
“Yeah. I did.”

Mac’s mouth fell open.

“Close your mouth, Mac.”

She closed her mouth.

“Everyone out,” he ordered, his eyes never
leaving mine, just like they never left mine in the ambulance ride
to the hospital last night, and when they put fifteen stitches in
my upper thigh and he squeezed my hand hard as he sat with me. Even
as I lay in my hospital bed in the dead of night, freshly showered,
exhausted and drifting off, his eyes held mine until lost in them,
I fell asleep.

There were grumbles and rustles of paper as Evie
gathered up the last of the chips. Kisses were pressed on my cheek,
“be back later’s” were called out, and then it was just Travis and
me.

He leaned in, touching his lips to mine.

It wasn’t enough. I pressed harder, tasting his
lips with my tongue. He groaned, opening his mouth, and took over
the kiss.

Pulling back, he said, “You taste like
strawberries,” and sat on the edge of my bed.

Patting at my hair with one hand, I held up my
shake in reply with the other. He stole it from my hand and
wrapping his lips around the straw, took a sip. I watched
breathlessly as he swallowed and eyes crinkling, said, “You know
how much I love strawberry ice cream.”

I shivered, remembering him tasting it from my
mouth after our date. “Me too.”

“So …” He grinned. “I looked like I could take
on King Kong and win?”

“You were eavesdropping,” I accused and whacked
his chest with the back of my hand. “How much did you hear?”

“Casey and I heard it all.” He chuckled but it
died off. “I’m your everything.”

I flushed wildly and picked at the hem of my
blanket.

Travis tucked his thumb and forefinger under my
chin until I couldn’t avoid looking at him any longer.

“You are,” I agreed softly. “You gave me
everything that helped me find myself. Your support gave me
confidence, your determination made me fight, and your strength
helped me find my own.” He wiped softly at a tear that spilled over
and streaked down my cheek. “I love you so much, Travis.”

His eyes filled and he blinked. “I love you too,
sweetheart.”

Spreading out on the bed next to me, his feet
hanging off the edge at an angle, he pulled me into a tight
embrace, and I drifted off in his arms.

Travis shifting and the clearing of a throat
woke me from my nap. Travis sat up and swung his legs over the edge
of the bed, wiping at tired eyes as my own found Seth standing by
the door. His brow and jaw were swollen and bruised, his blond hair
mussed, his shoulder wrapped up in a sling. He was pale and sweaty
and looked in no condition to be out of his own hospital bed and
trekking around the hallways.

“Seth,” I murmured.

He hesitated, not knowing what the appropriate
greeting was for a long lost daughter. Unfortunately, I was in the
same boat.

Travis solved the problem. “Agent McKinnon.” He
nodded at the visitor chair. “Why don’t you take a seat before you
fall down.”

Seth glared, no doubt remembering Travis
throwing that now infamous punch. Travis returned the glare, no
doubt remembering my recount to him of yesterday and blaming Seth
for getting me caught up in everything.

I sighed because we weren’t off to a good
start.

“Travis, why don’t you go grab a coffee?”

He folded his arms. “I’m good.”

I smiled at him meaningfully.

“I think she was politely asking you to leave,”
Seth offered as he dragged the chair closer by the bed and seated
himself carefully.

“I know that, but having dealt with Quinn’s
family
in the past, I’m not inclined to ever leave her alone
with any of them again.”

By the way he emphasised family, I knew he
considered it a loose term just as I did. The single word didn’t
encompass much except a mother who wasn’t worth knowing and a
father I didn’t know at all. At twenty-two, I wasn’t sure I was in
need of a father anymore. Frankly I didn’t know what on earth to do
with one now that he was here, but maybe it was something we could
work out together.

“Travis.” I reached out and squeezed his hand.
“I’d really love a coffee.”

He returned the squeeze and looked into my eyes.
I needed to talk to Seth, and I needed the space to process
whatever came of it. I hoped he could see that in my eyes and
understand.

Travis nodded and with a quick kiss, he was
gone.

Over the next hour, I learned I had more family
than I knew what to do with. Seth was the youngest of three. I had
two uncles, grandparents, and cousins scattered over the
countryside. It made me ache, my chest burning at knowing
everything I’d ever prayed for had been right at my fingertips all
along, and my mother had known. She’d
known
and never
bothered to tell me.

Was it because Seth broke her heart like he
believed? A silent “fuck you” to Seth that he was never supposed to
hear?

“I hate her,” I whispered to him after I
explained my upbringing, saving most of the details for another
day. “And I hate that I hate her. I thought I didn’t feel anything
for her but this…this
burns
,” I whispered, my voice thick
with hurt.

Seth stood up and folded me awkwardly in his
free arm. The kindness had me slumping into his shoulder.

A loud curse came from the doorway, and I pulled
away as Travis strode forward and got in Seth’s face.

“What did you say to her?”

I pulled away, suddenly exhausted. “I have a
family.”

Travis frowned at me, sitting a coffee on my
tray table and taking hold of my hand. “Of course you do. Us.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Quinn,” Seth cut in, and
with a nod to Travis, he left my room.

I scooted over in my bed a little to allow room
for Travis. He sat down, handed me the coffee, and I told him
everything Seth told me.

***

“You know,” I said, and
paused, looking up at Travis from beneath my lashes where we lay in
my bed. Morning sunlight streamed through the window, making me
squint a little as I rolled to my side and propped my head in my
hand. “I think you should hire me at Jamieson and Valentine
Consulting. I’d make a really good employee.”

“Yeah?” Travis scratched lazily at his neck and
yawned as I trailed my fingers up the ridges along his naked chest.
He appeared to give it serious thought. “Well you could fetch me
coffee I suppose, pick up my dry cleaning, do all my paperwork. I
could even bend you over my desk whenever I wanted.” His lips
twitched. “When can you start?”

My eyes flashed in annoyance, but I quietly
smothered it. Instead, I changed direction, trailing my fingers
downwards, and this time when I looked up at him from beneath my
lashes, I bit down on my lip. He sucked in a breath and I hid my
smirk. “Well I was kinda thinking that—”

“That what? You helped dismantle an entire drug
and human trafficking cartel and now that you’re on a roll and have
a taste for adrenaline, you want more?”

“Well life with you and the badass brigade is
never going to be dull, is it? Maybe Mac was right and I need to
learn how to shoot.”

“Newsflash, sweetheart. You’re the ones that are
causing the mayhem and leaving a trail of destruction behind
you.”

A loud bang on the door interrupted our
chat.

“Quinn!” Mac yelled through the door. “Are you
ready to go yet?”

The door flew open before I could reply, and I
whipped the sheet up to cover my naked chest.

“Seen it before,” she sing-songed as she sailed
into my wardrobe.

“Jesus Christ, Mac, haven’t you heard of fucking
privacy,” Travis growled.

“Sorry!” she yelled, her voice muffled as
rummaging and banging noises came from deep within. “Ah ha!” She
stalked out, waving a bag around. “I knew you had my lemon tote.”
Pausing at the end of the bed, she said, “What the hell are you
doing anyway? Hang on…let me rephrase that. Mum is downstairs. Did
you forget we were going shopping today?”

“No,” I lied.

I did forget. When I was with Travis, he made me
forget my name, forget to breathe, and forget I had seen people
die. He made me forget everything. But Travis couldn’t be there all
the time. When he wasn’t, my friends rallied, but it was high time
the cotton wool that had cocooned me for two weeks was unwrapped so
I could move on with the rest of my life.

That was supposed to start today, with shopping,
because my stitches were out, my crutches were gone, and Mac had
told me the feel good endorphins from spending lots of money was
the first step on my road to recovery. I was told it would be epic.
Evie and Tim were coming, Lucy was meeting us there, and Evie had
Jared book us a late champagne and seafood lunch at Mr. Chow’s.
Unfortunately, it couldn’t drag late into the night because tonight
was my first night back at work—Jamieson would be playing at the
White Demon.

“You’re lying,” Mac announced.

“No I’m not,” I lied, shifting when Travis sat
up a little and reached for his phone from my bedside table.

“Yes you are,” she returned. “You have a
tell.”

Travis chuckled as he unlocked his phone and
began scrolling through his emails.

“What?”

He shook his head in reply.

“I don’t have a tell,” I told Mac, folding my
arms over the sheet.

She raised a brow.

“You do,” Travis said as he flicked through his
phone. “Everyone does.”

I looked at Mac as Travis tapped out an email
reply. “What’s Mac’s tell?”

“She widens her eyes a little,” he replied,
putting his phone back and joining me in looking at Mac, only he
was frowning. “You can leave now.”

Mac flared her nostrils. “Whatever. Downstairs,
Quinn. We’re leaving soon.”

She closed the door behind her, and I turned
back to Travis. “Now as I was saying—”

Travis interrupted me by pulling down the sheet,
rolling over, and grabbing my hips.

“Travis, I’m trying to talk.”

“So talk.” He leaned down and began licking and
biting my neck, running his hands up my torso until he held my
breasts in his hands, his thumbs rubbing across my nipples.

“Travis,” I moaned and arched my back into the
touch.

“You like me touching you?” he whispered into my
ear.

I grabbed his naked hips and yanked him down,
feeling the length of him harden against the soft skin of my
belly.

“Yes,” I breathed.

He slid a hand down between my thighs and
chuckled in my ear as I squirmed against the feel of his roughened
fingers.