Quinn sat quietly at the table, observing Andrew Booth; he was rummaging in a bag in the corner of the room. Quinn hadn't noticed it earlier, not until he had taken a liquor bottle from it, drinking it down quickly. The effects of the alcohol were starting to show, and Quinn detected an unsteadiness in his walk.
As he pulled out a second bottle of amber liquid and took a large gulp, Quinn shuddered. Andrew Booth was unpredictable sober; she didn't want to consider what he might be capable of as he got drunker. He caught her watching him as he turned to face her, the bottle in one hand, using the back of the other hand to wipe his mouth.
"What are you looking at?" he demanded, his tone threatening. Not waiting for Quinn to reply, Booth sat next to her, placing the whiskey in front of him. Quinn watched as he took another long swallow, wondering when she could use its effect to her advantage.
"So, I need to know, how close were you and my brother?" he asked, his voice filled with innuendo. "Will he be jealous you're here alone with me, or will the Mountie? Maybe both. Is that how it is?" he sneered at her. Booth reached over and stroked Quinn's hair, letting his hand drift across her cheek before reaching once again for the bottle on the table.
Quinn stiffened in response to his touch and foul words, "say whatever filth you like; it doesn't make it true." she said calmly despite the bile rising in her throat. "Instead of wasting time with this, tell me what you want so we can both be on our way." Quinn gambled on getting a reaction from Booth, one that would hopefully tell her his intentions.
"Well, one of us will be anyway", he muttered under his breath, snickering at his feeble attempt at a joke. Watching as Quinn started to rise, he said, "Sit down," and pushed down on her shoulder.
"All I want is to know is when you will let me go," Quinn exclaimed.
"I don't care what you want," Booth growled, leaning across to peer directly into her face. "I care about what I want, and I want you to shut up," he shouted, slamming his hand down on the table.
The sound his hand made on the table startled her, and she jumped. The whiskey on his breath and his spittle landing on her face sickened her. Quinn couldn't hide her disgust, and she recoiled from him, turning her face away. Booth's eyes lit with outrage, and he lashed out, kicking her chair hard, tipping it backward.
Quinn grappled at the table, but the binding on her wrists made her clumsy, and she couldn't stop her fall. The chair toppled over, taking Quinn with it. She rolled to the side as the chair hit the floor, saving herself from hitting her head, but agony exploded inside her as she landed on her injured ribs. She cried out, then lay there, gasping for breath as Booth stared at her from the table, enjoying her pain.
He pushed his chair backward and leapt up; Quinn expecting he was coming around the table, tried to get up. Her feet scrabbled against the dusty floorboards; her hands were useless. Relief rushed through her as he strode away and headed away from her. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at his back; she had never felt so powerless.
Nathan and Gabe crept silently toward the cabin, noting that it was in a small clearing, bush surrounding it. The trees hadn't been cleared from the back of the structure, and Nathan knew it would be best to approach from that way. There was much less chance of being seen. Nathan could see Newton and Misty tied up on the far side of the cabin; at some point, he would need to settle them both so they didn't give him and Gabe away.
Nathan and Gabe whispered together, discussing a plan of action, they had hoped there would be a back door, but there wasn't one, meaning there was only one way in and one way out. As they crouched in the woods, they heard noise and movement from inside; Booth's voice raised in anger, something falling and Quinn's cry of pain. Nathan bounded up, only to be dragged back down by Gabe, who whispered fiercely, "I know how you are feeling; I know all you want to do is rush in there, but you know we can't; we have to be smart about this Nathan."
Nathan heard Gabe, but he didn't care; he needed to see that Quinn was okay, he needed to get her away from Booth. As he pulled away from Gabe's hold on him and stood, there was a loud crash; Nathan looked at Gabe, eyebrows raised in question; they waited, then heard Booth calling out and knew the noise was him; it sounded like he was smashing up the inside of the cabin.
Nathan and Gabe crept up onto the Verandah quietly; Nathan headed to the horses, whispering, calming them into silence. Nathan peered inside the cabin, taking advantage that the windows had no coverings and the glass was grimy with age. At first, Nathan couldn't see Quinn, just Booth stalking around the cabin, throwing items from shelves, tipping over furniture.
As Nathan's eyes adjusted to the gloom inside the cabin, he saw Quinn on the floor, having fallen, or been pushed. Nathan knew that was why she had cried out in pain, and he quickly looked over her for any signs of injury. As he assessed Quinn, his fists clenched at his side, his heart was racing, and rage consumed him. Nathan was done waiting, done being sensible; he needed to get to Quinn and get her away from Booth.
"You have five minutes for your boyfriends to get here, or I will punish you," Booth said menacingly, "trust me, you don't want that to happen. The laugh that followed Booth's words sent shivers down Nathan's spine; his tone was pure evil. The time for trying to reason with him was over; the longer he was denied what he wanted, the more he spiralled out of control, and Quinn was at his mercy.
Quinn heard Booth's sickening words and couldn't stop trembling; she had no doubt he was capable of brutality and would enjoy punishing her to get revenge. Quinn doubted Joshua was coming; she disagreed with Booth about his feelings for her; when Booth realised he had been wrong, he would lash out at her. Quinn knew Nathan was looking for her. Knowing Nathan was coming was the only thing keeping her from trying to escape, although if Booth continued to escalate, she would have to do something to save herself before time ran out for her.
Quinn managed to get to her feet slowly, holding on to the chair and the table. She protected her ribs, but there was no point trying to hide her injury from Booth; he had seen her reaction when he pushed her chair over. Hearing loud footsteps hurrying across the floor, instinctively Quinn stepped away towards the door, but Booth grabbed her arm and drew her roughly forward; this time, at least she muffled the groan of pain it caused. "Don't touch me," Quinn retorted.
Shoving her toward the wall, he wrapped an arm around her waist; the other held a gun against her temple. "If you struggle or try to get away from me, I will pull the trigger." he snarled at her, his breath hot on her skin.
As Nathan and Gabe remained hidden from Booth, they had a clear view of the cabin and saw him shove Quinn against the wall, gun to her head. Nathan couldn't wait any longer; he needed to go in. He shook his head at Gabe as he mouthed for him to wait, he tried to shake loose from Gabe's grip on his arm, but he held him firm.
Inside the cabin, Booth let go of Quinn's waist and slid his hand up her side and behind her neck, wrapping his hand in her hair, tilting her head to the left, and exposing her neck, pressing the gun more firmly against her right temple. He ran the gun down the side of Quinn's face and neck. His grip remained tight on the weapon, trailing it over her collarbone and across her chest toward her heart.
Quinn shook, the firearm against her temple, and her chest filled her with dread. If Booth lost control or made a mistake, he would kill her, and she would lose the chance for a life with Nathan. As Booth pulled harder on her hair, tears filled her eyes, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt.
"I don't think I want to wait anymore; I need something to make it worth my while," Booth said before releasing Quinn's hair and gripping her face in his hand. Pressing his body against hers, Booth held the gun against her side. As Quinn stiffened, he covered her lips with his, forcing her into a kiss. Quinn protested, screaming against his lips, struggling, desperate to get away from him.
Nathan couldn't breathe; he had to get to her and get her away from Booth. A moan escaped his throat as he watched Quinn struggle against her captor; as he went to break his cover, and break away from Gabe, Joshua Fielding appeared from the darkness, running forward, then stopping in the cabin doorway.
"It's me you want; let her go," Joshua stated, his words loud in the silence. He stood staring at Booth, his face twisted with anger, making the resemblance to his brother even more pronounced.
Startled by Joshua's cry, Booth stared, surprised at his sudden appearance. Booth had been distracted by Quinn; how powerful he felt when he kissed her, feeling her distress had enhanced his pleasure; he was disappointed that Joshua had turned up and spoiled the fun he planned to have with her.
Quinn took a breath as Booth released her, gagging from the feel of his lips on hers; tears streamed down her face at the revulsion she felt at his touch. Quinn was scared to struggle with the gun jammed into her injured side, but now she moved, angling her body away from his so they were not touching. As Quinn stepped away from Booth, she slipped her hand into his pocket, withdrawing the whiskey bottle, the closest thing to a weapon she could find; she knew there was no chance to get the gun without him noticing.
Quinn looked at Joshua, amazed that he was there. A flash of red appeared at the edge of her vision through the window; Nathan, she thought; she knew he would come. Quinn hoped Booth wouldn't notice, that he was too consumed with Joshua's presence.
Booth stared at Joshua, "I knew you would come for her, brother," he smiled menacingly, "I just wish you had taken a little longer; we had just started to enjoy ourselves," he said, looking at Quinn and licking is lips, crushing her against his right side. Booth trailed his lips over Quinn's cheek, laughing again as she strained away from him.
Joshua stepped forward, "let her go; this is between us." he growled. "Let's get this over with, once and for all. What do you want from me?"
"I don't want anything from you. I want to be you. I will be you," Booth revealed, swaying back and forth, his grip on Quinn remaining tight despite his intoxication. "It's the only way that I will get what my mother owes me."
Joshua scoffed, "Do you think you can convince people you are me? My father, my friends, will never believe it."
Booth said, "of course, they will; I will be on the other side of the country; I could go back to the other side of the world; once I get the money and get out of Oakville, there will be no reason not to believe me." Booth's attention was focused on Joshua, staring at him, eyes boring into his brother's.
Nathan watched Joshua step forward, approaching Booth and wanted to scream at him to stop, to stay back. Nathan was at breaking point; he had spent too long knowing Booth had Quinn without being able to do anything about it. He didn't care what happened to Booth or Joshua; he just needed to get Quinn away from the brothers to make sure no more harm came to her because of the Fieldings.
Quinn watched the scene unfolding between the brothers; the atmosphere in the room was thick with the tension. Quinn stumbled as Booth shoved her away from him, watching as he freed his hand, drew his weapon, and pointed it at Joshua. Quinn didn't hesitate; she spun around and, grasping the whiskey bottle in her bound hands, smashed it against the wall, shattering it and turning it into a jagged weapon. Quinn stepped forward and jammed the broken bottle into Andrew Booth's side, beneath his right arm.
The room exploded with activity; Booth roared in pain and surprise, dropping his arm and weapon, his gun skittering across the floorboards and out of his reach. Joshua leapt toward his brother, and Nathan and Gabe burst into the room, Gabe heading towards the brothers, Nathan rushing towards Quinn. Quinn stood immobile in the chaos, eyes wide, hands gripping the broken bottle in front of her. Lucas stood in the doorway to the cabin, watching the chaos inside the room, not sure what to do.
Nathan wanted to rush towards Quinn, hold her in his arms, make sure she was okay, and offer what comfort he could, but he approached slowly, recognising she was in shock. Walking towards his love, he evaluated her. Quinn's hair was dishevelled, some beautiful curls falling from her clip, and her face streaked with tears. Her bound hands held the bottle, the skin white with the force of her grip, red with blood. It was her eyes that broke his heart. Quinn's eyes, usually bright with joy and passion for life, were flat and dull, staring at Booth where he lay bleeding on the ground. Her lack of emotion was a testament to the ordeal she experienced, what Booth had taken from her.
Nathan approached cautiously, he knew his height and muscular frame could be intimidating, and he used this occasionally. Nathan needed to be as gentle as he could, he didn't want to startle Quinn, and he wasn't sure how she would respond to him after her ordeal if she wanted him close to her. He gently called her name as he approached her, letting her know he was there. "Quinn? Quinn, it's me." He stopped and waited, watching for her reaction to his words.
Quinn heard Nathan's voice, listened to her name gentle on his lips, but she couldn't seem to pull her gaze from Andrew Booth, unable to believe she had stabbed him, stabbed someone. She stared at her hands, not seeing the rope which still bound them, just the bottle, the blood on it, the blood staining her hands. Never had she caused someone physical harm, deliberately or otherwise, and she wasn't sure what to do.
Quinn heard Nathan utter her name once more, the love and compassion finally penetrating the shock paralysing her. Walking towards her, she saw Fear in Nathan's eyes, his hesitation, but above all, his love for her shone from them, warming her. As he reached for her, she dropped the bottle, but as he drew her forward, holding her bound hands in his, she couldn't hide her pain; she flinched as her injured ribs objected to her fast movement.
Nathan looked at her in concern as she flinched and silently drew a knife from his pocket and, gently cradling Quinn's hands, cut the binding from her wrists, freeing her hands. Anger once again rose within him when he saw the skin on her wrists, reddened from her bindings, chafed from the rope Booth had used to incapacitate her. He looked down into her face, his fingers lovingly caressing her cheek. He said, "where else does it hurt?"
Quinn shuddered as Nathan freed her wrists, the pain from having been bound coursing through her. Luckily the binding had only been tight enough to hold her but not enough to cause lasting damage from lack of circulation. She looked at the blood still on her hands and wiped them feverishly against her skirts, trying to remove it. "My ribs," she said, running her hands over her skirts, "I hurt them when he pulled me from Misty." Her words were plain, but her voice shook, her husky tone quivering with emotion.
Nathan took her hands in his, halting her frantic movement. "Look at me, Quinn, please," his voice was low enough only she could hear, "you're okay, Quinn, you're safe." His voice urgent, he whispered, "Look at me," he implored.
Quinn heard Nathan's voice, reassuring and felt his hands holding hers so gently, and she finally relaxed, knowing she was safe. Quinn raised her head, looked at him, and then leaned her head on his chest, her movement tentative, protecting her ribs.
"I knew you would come for me; that's what kept me going and sane," Quinn said. "I don't think I could have done it without knowing you were looking for me. Thank you for coming for me," she whispered. Quinn saw Nathan's eyes fill with tears and felt him raise his hand and stroke her hair.
Booth's yells and screams of pain and resistance finally penetrated the bubble they had created for themselves, drawing them back into the cabin. Nathan turned so Quinn could see what was happening but didn't release her; he wasn't sure if he would.
Booth lay on the ground writhing and moaning; Gabe knelt beside him, examining his wound. It didn't appear serious; Quinn had shocked more than injured him. Joshua stood over Gabe and his brother, Andrew Booth's gun trained on him, ready to shoot if he tried anything. Lucas stood in the doorway, looking around the cabin, shocked into silence, unsure what to do.
"Gabe?" Nathan called, "is there anything you need me to do?" Nathan didn't want to help provide care and assistance to Booth, but it was his job. He watched passively as Gabe tied Booth's legs together to immobilise him and hinder any escape attempts, then moved on to continue treating his wound. The wound, the alcohol he'd consumed, and the ropes subdued Booth; however, the gun his brother had trained on him was the most significant deterrent.
Without looking at him, Gabe replied, "No, thank you, Nathan, but I will tend his wound before transporting him back to the Mountie office. I am not even sure I need to take him to the infirmary. I suggest you escort Quinn to see Faith." Gabe flicked his eyes to Lucas. "Can you do two trips in your car, Lucas, take Nathan and Quinn back to town and return for us?"
Lucas nodded at Gabe, "of course, yes, I will hurry back." He watched as Nathan supported Quinn out of the cabin, following them to the vehicle.
Nathan settled Quinn into the vehicle's backseat before placing the blanket Lucas handed him over her for warmth. Nathan climbed into the car and sat next to Quinn carefully, trying not to hurt her. As he sat, bracing her to minimise her movement, he was glad, for once, to have the car there, not that he would admit it. He was happy Quinn didn't have to travel back to town on horseback with broken ribs.
As she sat next to Nathan, Quinn couldn't believe it hadn't even been one full day she had been with Booth; it had seemed to take an eternity while it was happening. Murmuring, she asked, "Nathan, does Allie know what happened, and is she okay?"
Smiling down at Quinn, shaking his head, not surprised she was concerned for someone other than herself. "She knows you were taken and that I was looking for you. I promised I would bring you home. Once Faith examines you, I will find Allie and tell her what is happening."
"Lucas, can you take me to Abigails, please? Nathan, I am sure I am fine..." Quinn said.
"Lucas, ignore her," Nathan spoke before she could finish her sentence, "you're seeing Faith as soon as we get back to town. Don't argue with me."
Quinn sighed in defeat, knowing she should let him decide for her this time. "I won't give in so easily all the time, you know," she said.
"I know," he said with a grin, his crooked smile flashing across his face, but disappearing quickly, "but I will take it when I can."
Quinn wondered at the hesitation she could sense in him, his eyes dark with an emotion she didn't recognise. She frowned in confusion and then dropped her head; pain lanced through her heart. Something had changed between them, and she wasn't sure why or how to fix it.