Under the Boardwalk (Costas Sisters 1)

“That’s nice but why the hell do you care?”

“I think you already know, but for some reason you need it spelled out. Probably so you can have another excuse to run away,” he muttered. “And I’m just stupid enough to give it to you. I needed you to reunite with your sister because I care. And again I’m just stupid enough to hope that you have the guts to admit you feel the same way about me.”

Tears fell from her eyes but she remained silent. Which was okay, he told himself. He’d just added to her burdens by giving her more emotional crap to deal with. He trusted she’d come around.

She swallowed hard and stroked his cheek with her hand. “You’re a great guy, Quinn. But you deserve a hell of a lot better than me.”

And without meeting his gaze, she lifted the blindfold and tied it tightly around her eyes, closing him out.

Completely.

Chapter Fifteen

Ari rode with Quinn back to his house, but when he’d started to get out of the truck, she reminded him that he had to meet with Damon early in the morning. A not-so-subtle hint that she needed to be alone. But now her thoughts were muddled and sleep didn’t come easily.

Quinn cared about her. Well, she cared about him, too, but that didn’t mean she could admit it out loud. The fact that he’d brought her to Zoe, risking an entire case, his career, and heaven knew what else spoke to a depth of feeling that scared her. She had a life in Vermont. As staid as it was, as boring as she realized it had become, she had friends, a tenured job, and stability.

What did she have here? A family that she didn’t understand, parents and a twin who didn’t trust her with the most basic information because she’d held herself above them. A monkey who was probably an illegal member of the clan, and a foster child she adored but who’d flip out if the monkey had to go. And a man who was caring and more understanding than she deserved.

Tired of tossing and turning, she rose at dawn and made her way to the small room Quinn used as an office, determined to focus on the one thing she could control. She turned on his computer and started to do some research on New Jersey laws and the fate of poor Spank.

Fresh from his meeting with Damon, Quinn was in a foul mood. Damon’s trip had been delayed a few hours and Quinn was preoccupied, unable to let go of the colossal mistake he’d made by bringing Ari to her twin. Instead of reassuring her about her place in her family, the reunion had left her feeling more like an outsider than ever. As a result, she was pushing him away, too. He felt certain that in Ari’s mind, by distancing herself, she was making her departure not only inevitable but easier.

He shook his head and decided to check out the action. He strode into the bar and saw Connor and Maria huddled in the corner, whispering and looking awfully cozy for two people who’d made sparring an art form. Obviously Connor was making progress with Maria, her kid proving not to be as much of a barrier as he would have thought. Watching them only served to remind Quinn again of his screwup with Ari and reinforce all that was lacking in his life.

He needed to get away and hang out with someone he understood. An hour later, he found himself at Elena and Nicholas’s house. In hand, he had a copy of the letter of recommendation he’d filed with the Division of Youth and Family Services supporting their foster-care application as well as the request to apply for the fost-adopt program. But his real motive was the desire to hang out with Sam and remember what his life was like.

The construction had finished for the day and so the house was quiet, but when Uncle John let Quinn into the house, Quinn narrowed his gaze, unable to believe what he saw.

Spank sat in a cage. She was undressed, which was normal on any other monkey but strange for Spank, who typically favored frilly dresses and fancy bibs. One hairy arm hung limp at her side and her head was tilted at an odd angle. One word to describe the monkey was “pathetic.”

Quinn stepped into the family room so he could get a better view of the sign in front of the cage:

We Don’t Feed The Animal. Unless they’re all natural ingredients, which are the same ingredients we use in our products. Unless you want to end up deformed like the poor monkey we rescued from a cosmetics testing lab, pamper your face and body at the Costas Spa.

Sincerely, The Management

Quinn rolled his eyes. This was the Costas family. He could definitely believe what he saw. He just had to keep his promise to Ari and put an end to the cons before Sam’s placement was jeopardized.