“What a lot of exclamation points,” Mrs. Quinlan said with a chuckle.
Jake smiled. “Wow, Joe – turns out you’re the hero… Did Ellie write that article by any chance?”
Joseph laughed. “She might’ve had something to do with it.”
Mrs. Quinlan rubbed Jake on the arm. “You should come stay with us in New York for a while. Until you feel better.”
“I’m okay. A gunshot wound is becoming familiar territory for me.”
“Well we don’t want it happening again,” Mrs. Quinlan said.
“You know what you need?” Samira said. “You need to find the love of a good woman. And let her take care of you.”
“Nah… People like me don’t fall in love. And besides, I’ve got a legacy to find.”
“What’s that?” Ivan asked, gently rubbing Quin as he slept in his arms.
“Some of the money that Quinlan Senior… I mean, Dad… stashed from the gun-running. You and your gang hid it somewhere, right, Dad? When the cops started sniffing around. That’s what my dad told me.”
Mr. Quinlan frowned. “Well now, Jake, I honestly couldn’t tell you where that money is. It might be gone. I can probably point you in the right direction. But don’t forget it’s dirty cash. I don’t want anything to do with it.”
“Good,” Jake said. “More for me.”
Ivan shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Yeah, I do. I’m going on a treasure hunt.”
Dylan folded his arms across his chest. “Actually, Jake, Adam and I have a job for you – we need a private investigator we can trust.”
Jake flicked his eyes at Ivan. “Did you tell them I needed a job? Because I don’t.”
“Nothing to do with me,” Ivan said.
“No, nothing to do with him,” Dylan said. “My lawyer?
??s been bugging me on the phone all night. We urgently need someone to check a few things out for us.”
Jake tried to sit up, but couldn’t manage it. “What do you need investigating and how much are you paying?”
“We’ll pay you well, of course,” Dylan said. “But Jake, don’t forget that we’re family now. You’ve got to stop being so spiky all the time. We Quinlans stick together.”
“Yeah, yeah. So what’s the job?”
“We’ve got a government health and safety woman on our back. There’s a product we’re interested in investing in, but it’s being dragged through this huge insurance claim, so the woman is working onsite with us, going through all the paperwork…”
“And where do I come in?”
“We need someone to make sure the company isn’t covering up anything. You just need to work alongside this health and safety woman, and make sure she’s not trying to fuck things up. She’s almost as much of a pain in the ass as you.”
“Okay. I can do that and go on my treasure hunt at the same time. Give me her details and I’ll look into it.”
“Great, Jake. I’m sure looking forward to working with you. You’re definitely going to be an asset to this family.”
Jake closed his eyes and smiled, looking more content than Samira had ever seen him. This was the end of an adventure for them both, and she couldn’t wait for the beginning of the next one.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Samira loved New York City. It was bustling and vibrant, and this penthouse apartment on the edge of Central Park gave her the tranquility she needed. There was a chill in the air now that the nights were drawing in, and Samira was sad for the loss of summer, but it wasn’t going out without a fight – the trees looked spectacular in their early-fall reds, yellows, and greens. It was truly a work of art. And the musty scent of fall made her want to snuggle up on the couch with Ivan and Quin… and then just with Ivan after they’d put the baby to bed.