CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

 

This time Selene did not try to keep her latest encounter with Michel from Quinn. She told him the full story when she got home from work. She could no more run away from her past than pretend it wasn’t encroaching upon her present relationship. Michel Giovanni seemed determined to stalk her and ruin her happiness.

Her biggest problem was getting him to back off before Quinn decided to take the law into his own hands. Selene knew Quinn wasn’t a violent man, but he’d become very protective of her and fearful that Michel could do something extreme and dangerous.

Selene wanted to resolve the situation peacefully. She peeked at Quinn from the passenger seat. He’d suggested they go out to eat and talk more about the threat Michel posed to her. She agreed, figuring that a more relaxed setting would lessen the tension Michel had brought into their lives.

* * *

Juanita’s Isle, the Puerto Rican restaurant where Quinn took Selene on their first date, was mostly empty this evening. It had a rustic atmosphere and, over the years, had built a reputation for its award-winning authentic Nuevo Latino cuisine.

But that wasn’t what occupied Quinn’s mind tonight. He looked across the table at his stunning wife, while thinking about her ex-husband. It seemed like Michel Giovanni intended to harass Selene until she capitulated and became his punching bag again. Though Quinn was certain that would never happen, it concerned him that Selene was being subjected to his harassment.

But what could he do? What should he do to put a stop to it? He couldn’t just sit back and allow things to happen that could only lead to tragedy and the type of gut-wrenching pain Quinn thought he would never have to experience again. It would be up to him to keep things from getting out of hand.

* * *

“I’ll get a restraining order against Michel,” Selene said nibbling on a roll. “Dennis Cramer would probably think it was a smart move.”

She’d worked with Dennis on behalf of victims of S.A.W. House and knew he had a strong interest in domestic violence, even though he was apparently unaware that one of his officers needed help.

“I’m not sure that would do much to prevent him from coming after you,” Quinn muttered glumly. “We both know that determined batterers or stalkers don’t give a damn about a piece of paper.”

“True, but it’s still how the system works.” Selene met his eyes soberly. “The police won’t act unless Michel violates the order.”

“Or attacks you,” he said. “I really think I need to have a word with him.”

That was exactly what Selene was afraid of and didn’t want to happen. “Not a good idea,” she said flatly. “Coming to blows with Michel will only get one of you hurt.”

“You mean me, don’t you?” Quinn asked self-consciously.

“I didn’t say that.”

But the thought had entered her mind. How could it not? She didn’t doubt that Quinn could more than hold his own with Michel if it came right down to it, but that wasn’t the point. Violence only produced more violence and too often resulted in fatalities. The end could never justify the means, and Selene would prefer not go down that road.

“He’s used to beating up women,” Quinn stressed. “I doubt he has the balls to pick on someone his own size.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t want you to confront Michel. You’re better than he is. Stooping to his level will only make matters worse.”

Quinn stiffened. “So what do you suggest we do? Give him free reign to follow you around as he pleases, making threats or otherwise causing you nothing but grief?”

She sighed, wishing there was a simple solution. “We hope and pray that Michel will come to his senses and just go away with no harm done.”

Yeah, right. Selene knew that all the hope and prayers in the world weren’t enough to see this through to a satisfactory conclusion, especially when Michel seemed hell bent on stirring up trouble. But, since he probably hadn’t broken any laws to date, she saw no reason for them to overreact. She preferred they do things the right way, starting with a restraining order.

Quinn believed in hope and prayer too, having relied on it to bail him out of a difficult situation on more than one occasion. But he had to balance that with reality. He knew that abusive men like Michel saw their women as possessions that they weren’t willing to relinquish completely without a fight. And if it was a fight that bastard wanted...

“Your ex isn’t going to walk away because we want him to,” Quinn said. “We’ve both seen men like him who don’t know when to quit. If he’s got his sights set on you again, we need a plan of action to deal with it. And I don’t just mean a restraining order.”

Selene stopped eating, eyeing him warily. “So what exactly do you mean—?”

Quinn hesitated. “I think you need a gun. Maybe we both do...”

Selene was stunned. They had talked about this very thing with a serial killer in their midst and had agreed that having guns in the house or carrying a concealed weapon could do more harm than good. She, for one, still held steadfastly to that idea.

Sucking in a deep breath, Selene tried to contain her irritation. “And do what with it, kill Michel? Is that what you really want?”

“I don’t want to kill him,” Quinn said. “I just don’t want him to kill you, honey. Or leave you so vulnerable that he can come and go as he pleases—till he snaps.” Quinn lowered his eyes thoughtfully. “If my first wife had been armed, maybe she would still be alive today.”

Selene was sympathetic to Quinn’s point of view. He had already gone through the horror of a wife lost to violence and didn’t want to see her dealt a similar fate. In that moment, she wondered about his first wife. Quinn hadn’t really talked much about her, saying only that they were happy before tragedy struck. She could only imagine the anguish Quinn must have endured following the death of a woman he loved so much. Having to go through the same ordeal twice in one lifetime was unthinkable.

She had no intention of making herself easy prey for Michel. Selene could see the despair in Quinn’s eyes and wondered if her love for him would be enough to overcome the deep sense of loyalty and affection she sensed he still carried for his first wife even in death.

Her thoughts returned to Michel and the conflict he was bringing to her marriage. Selene was determined not to let him succeed in coming between her and Quinn, even if she knew the battle lines were being drawn on both sides and there was no easy way out.

Leaning across the table, Selene touched Quinn’s face contemplatively. “Darling, there may have been no way to prevent what happened to your first wife. We can only look at today and tomorrow. I don’t want to live my life as a victim again. If we arm ourselves, that’s exactly what we’ll be: victims of intimidation and paranoia. I say we let the police and courts handle Michel. He’s not going to do anything to me with people around to come to my defense. I’ll be careful not to let my guard down.”

Selene tried to gauge Quinn’s expression, holding her breath, while she waited for a response.

Quinn admired his wife and her courage under fire, wishing he had the same. He reached across the table and took her hand. For now, he would meet her halfway. “All right, Selene. We’ll see if the system can work for us.” He narrowed his eyes. “But if Giovanni steps too far out of line, I won’t let him hurt you. Not ever again!”

Selene hoped it would never come to that. She knew firsthand what Michel was capable of and didn’t want to know the same about Quinn.