Quinn (The Waite Family) by Kathi S. Barton Page B

took Quinn to the gym and taught her how to fight. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t clean fighting either.” Grandda cackled. “Heard tell that boy lit out of town when he could move again after she took him on , a few days after he was released from the hospital.”
    Drew laughed. He could see her too, all up in someone’s face giving them what-for. He leaned back in his chair, too full to think about moving. “You didn’t ask me if I did what she’d said. Why?” He was touched by the shocked look on Grandda’s face.
    “Because I know I didn’t raise you to hurt a woman. She’s had a hard life. You want her, you’re going to have to help her get over that part of her life. She is more than worth it, if you ask me.”
    Drew played with his melting ice cream on his plate and didn’t look up when he answered. “I don’t. Want her, I mean. I know what you say is true. She has a lot of…hurt, I guess, but I want no part of it. No part of any woman for that matter. I’m not getting married, Grandda. I told you that before.”
    “Son, you know you don’t mean that. She’s in love with you and if I’m not mistaken, you’re in love with her. Drew, don’t—”
    Drew’s cell phone ringing saved him from having to lie to his grandda about his feelings for Quinn. He was in love with her, but there was no way he was going to marry her. Not anyone for that matter. He was happy to see the ID was Alyssa. He’d even take her knowing what happened between him and Quinn right now over having this conversation with Grandda.
    “We’re back home now. Everything is fine. But…but the building has been trashed. Whoever got in managed to ransack the place pretty good before the police arrived.
    ~~~
    Quinn looked at what was once her office. It was a mess. Her computer was in several pieces on the floor and all the keys on her keyboard were strewn all over the room. Filing cabinets had been turned over on their sides and though they couldn’t be opened, they had done a great deal of damage to the outside of them. Even her chair, her favorite chair, hadn’t been spared. There were slash marks all over it and the stuffing pulled out, and it too all over the room. Quinn sat down on one of the turned over cabinets and looked around. It wasn’t until she spoke that she realized Alyssa was there.
    “It’s just stuff. Nothing here that can’t be replaced.” She came over and sat next to her on the cabinet. “I’ve already had you set up in another office on the upper floors near mine. All you need to do is go and pick out some furniture for it.”
    Quinn didn’t want new furniture. She wanted this furniture. She leaned over and picked up a broken plant and tried to push in back in the dirt. It wasn’t salvageable so she tossed it back down.
    “Do you know who did it yet?” She had seen the other offices and hers wasn’t even the worst of the mess currently being cleaned up.
    “No. The police said kids, but I don’t think so. I don’t want to brag, but I’m not sure that the ‘kids’ in this area would do this to us. I have some of my friends asking around. If any of them know anything I’ll know it soon enough.”
    Alyssa had spent ten years living on the streets until just recently. She had been hiding from her mother and uncle at the time. And she was right, if any one of the homeless people knew then they would tell Alyssa in a heartbeat. They loved her very much. Then there were all the things she’d done for them as well.
    “I guess I should get to the store. I don’t suppose you’d like to come with me, would you?” Quinn looked over at the door before she answered and noticed the big man standing there.
    “I’m afraid he’ll have to come with us. Cain has decided I need a bodyguard until this is settled. That’s Franz Kennedy. He’s on duty until noon and then someone else takes over.” Alyssa didn’t look happy about it, but Quinn knew that she was touched that Cain cared.
    They were riding