Author's Note - This has been a roller coaster. Up and down and fast. Thank you's to all my readers who keep my stats climbing, not just for this story but all of them.
DeDe324 - My constant companion and champion! You my dear are the fuel to my fire, thank you for the faith, the love, the friendship and above all the silliness. You are fantabulous and amazing! Anything you need for whatever just let me know woman, I'm here. Love you woman!
A few more shouts are in order, Stacey, Ashley, Chelsi, Trish, you girls are amazing and each one of you helps me with inspiration in different ways. I am blessed and overjoyed that I know you all and astounded that you love me as you do.
All right my faithful readers, I now present to you chapter 8. Please enjoy, read and review!
Quinn knew it wouldn't be long before the boys came. If Noah was with them she didn't know. Her frantic thoughts flip flopped from Duffy to Rosie to the boys. All the scenarios, all the things that could have gone wrong, that had gone wrong haunted her. Louie had given her free reign of his modest home but she stayed in her room. The old man understood her situation and was kind to her, bringing her meals, staying for conversation if she wanted someone to talk to. It was a complete 180 from eight years ago. If it was at all possible, she was more terrified in the presence of Louie. The quiet and gentle old man masked the conniving and Machiavellian mastermind that orchestrated the killing of a priest.
Later in the evening cars started to arrive. It was Louie's army. The boys, if they were coming, were walking into a trap. Quinn locked her door and silently cried herself to sleep. She knew that if they came and Noah was with them, none of them would be walking out. Before she drifted off she prayed for all of her loved ones and herself.
The new arrivals were loud and woke the red head up the next morning. She tried to go into the next room to shower without being noticed but with no such luck.
"We got ourselves a play thing boys," one nameless mobster said to two others. All of them looked the same, dark hair, dark eyes, sadistic smiles and two things on their mind, sex and revenge.
"She is out guest," Louie said from behind her. Quinn turned her head staring at his eyes, "Leave her be, she is needed alive and unharmed." His henchmen left for their positions around the house. "When you are finished getting ready come sit with me in the garden."
The ginger nodded wide-eyed and watched him leave. She quickly got ready joining Louie in the garden once again. He waved her over to the chair next to the Victrola. He put the needle on the record and the Vivaldi recording echoed through the enclosed room. Her posture was stiff and rigid but she was trembling. Every high note made her jump. Quinn looked at the old man, "It's soon," her voice reminiscent of eight years ago. She asked Brendan that same question before Connor and Murphy burst through the back door of the courtroom.
Louie reached for her hand, "Yes, come with me," he helped her up and walked her to the back of the garden. He showed the red head a pure white orchid. It was fragrant and so beautiful, delicate petals and strong stem. He held the potted flower like a child, cradling it as if it was precious to him. "Growing an empire is like growing a rare flower. It takes patience, time and work. You have to cut off the dead and diseased growths and leaves. Feed the healthy, get rid of weeds and pests," he gave a slight smile to the girl before continuing, "It's hard work but it ends up being a labor of love that gives way to something one can be proud of." He walked to the angel, placing the flower in her hands. Turning back to Quinn, "Your daughter has the face of a cherub; she will surely grow into an angel like her mother."
Stopped dead in her tracks, it shouldn't have surprised her that he knew about Rosaleigh, but the way he said it nearly stopped her heart. It started up again now beating like a rabbit's, "Please, you know they're coming, let me go," she begged, tears streaming down her face as it twisted from fear and desperation.
"You have to see this through bella rosa, you are as much to blame as they are," he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Come, let's eat. You will need your strength."
Defeated, yet again, she followed the Louie into his kitchen and watched him chop and sauté peppers, onions and mushrooms then adding crushed tomatoes. Then putting on salted water to boil for pasta, making lunch such an ordinary task; this was beyond what Quinn could comprehend. Watching Louie her definition of evil started to change.
Connor, Murphy, Noah and Romeo put together the arsenal needed to take down Louie and he ambush they were surely walking into. A day and a half passed but to Connor and Duffy it felt like centuries. The lighter haired MacManus kept his head by breaking down all the weapons and putting the back together. Duffy on the other hand didn't have that luxury. The chief had ordered him home, but he couldn't stay there, everything was a reminder of Quinn. Dolly offered him a place to stay and once he settled Brendan went catatonic. He wasn't himself, barely speaking two words to anyone, not eating or sleeping; just not functioning on higher levels. Never had Dolly seen him like this; Duffy was always the level headed one, the one to turn to in tough situations which was why Smecker asked him to get Quinn's statement eight years ago. Just a shell of the man he used to be.
"Hey," Dolly spoke softly, "Bren, they're leaving now. They'll find her," putting a hand on the detective's shoulder. He looked at his friend and partner, just torn down, broken. Duffy's green eyes looked glazed over as they met the Greek detective's dark browns, all the hope had gone out of him.
"I failed her," he mumbled.
"Knock it the fuck off Brendan," Dolly shouted at him and it seemed to wake him up a bit more, "If anything you need to get up and keep going for Rosie! God forbid anything happens to Quinn, but let's play Devil's advocate here. You gonna leave your baby girl without a mom and dad?"
Shaking his head, "Oh God, what the fuck am I doing," his voice still quiet and weak but the fight was coming back.
Dolly took hold of his shoulders and shook him just enough to wake him the rest of the way, "The boys and Quinn need us, we need to make sure that this little plan of theirs goes off without a hitch. Now get off the Goddamned couch and let's go!"
Connor could barely sit still in the van as the drive to Louie's seemed to take months. He took apart his guns more than five times. Loving Quinn only seemed to hurt her or get her hurt. That was the one thing he couldn't bear. That pretty and spunky little red head, he paused for a moment as the left corner of his mouth turned upwards slightly before becoming the signature smirk all three MacManus men shared. The memory seemed to still his apprehension, taking a few deep breaths calmed his shakiness; putting his guns together for the last time he looked at his brother for a moment before settling his gaze on his father, "He won't hurt her," asking to clear all his doubts.
"No, Louie wants us, not her," he replied definitively.
Turning his eyes back to his brother, "We need to find her and get her out of there as fast as possible."
"Aye," Murphy agreed, "Rome, find her and get out."
Quinn sat in the chair next to Louie almost frozen, heart pounding in her throat. Her eyes trained to the ground when she heard a car door slam. She jumped a bit letting out a yelp. The red head looked at Louie who smiled giving a nod. He took the needle off the record. All the blood drained from her head and seemed to settle in the growing lump in her throat, it tightened more and more with every pound of the bass drum that replaced her heart. Sweat formed on the palms of her hands as she had a white knuckle grip on the chair's seat. Her stomach doing somersaults as she breathing became shallow pants. It was seconds later that she heard the heavy steps of boots and quicker still the tall and intimidating figure of Noah MacManus appeared in the doorway. Dressed in black from head to toe, cap covering his full head of salt and pepper hair that hung to his shoulders in waves. Sunglasses covered his deep blue green eyes. He walked slowly over to the chair facing Louie and sat down.
"Hello Louie," he said in a deep, calming tone. He looked at Quinn giving her a reassuring smile, "It'll be okay lass."