Page 16 of Absolution

Quinn's right behind him. "We're here for support, no backing out this time."

"I'm packed, and I was just getting her things ready."

Mark and Quinn have had my back since I got stateside. The bond I've built with them has kept me sane over the last two years. I can't recall anything from my time in captivity, but I remember the day Mark showed up, and he's never left.

"Do you have everything?" Quinn roots through my bag sitting on the floor, ready for me to leave.

Mark quirks his brow, studying him. "What in the hell are you looking for... his underwear?"

"No, asshat!" Quinn flips him off. "This is a big step for him, I'm trying to be supportive."

"Well, you sound like a woman." Mark quips.

Quinn narrows his eyes, ready for the kill. "Just trying to make you feel at home, you big pussy."

"Y'all better not start nothing in my house!" I glare at them from the kitchen. "You break it, you buy it."

"What are you going to do, tell our mom? Oh, yeah. Quinn's already here." Mark chuckles, grinning like an opossum.

I round the corner with Doc's things in a bag of their own. "Hey, Mark. Did Charlie pack a bathing suit? Ya know what, I'll let her surprise me when we get there."

"You're going to get your ass beat, ya know that?" Mark's impersonation of me is ridiculous, but Quinn gets a kick out of him, buckling over with laughter until he falls over into my couch.

"Maybe, maybe not. You've gotten kinda old, I think I can take you. I believe we might need to start calling you, Muffin." I grab my bag off the floor, hightailing it toward my SUV with Mark hot on my ass.

"Where you running to you little shit!" He yells, barreling out behind me.

Quinn stumbles out, cackling. "His face is so red; I think he's going to blow!"

"How about you blow me?" Mark whirls around, his face glowing from our banter. I may have to bite my tongue to keep from bursting into laughter, he's so mad, goading Quinn on more.

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm a Ladykiller, not a sparkly ass vamp." Quinn smirks, knowing he's flipped the switch. Meanwhile, I'm doing my best to suppress my snickering, to no avail.

Mark turns on me, cocked and loaded. "What's so funny?"

"You two, squabbling like teen girls." I set my bags in the backseat and close the door. I turn around to find them both staring at me. "What?"

"Like you can remember how a teen girl acts?" Quinn fights a smile, thinking he's cracked a joke.

"Ha. Ha, ha! Hardy har!" I lay my hand on my stomach, pretending to find him funny.

Mark stretches his hand out in front of Quinn. "Hold up now. He can't help he's afflicted in the brain."

"You're right, I shouldn't joke in that manner." Quinn chides.

Mark's solemn, his brow pulled low. "Did you fix your GPS?"

"Yeah," I say, quirking my brow.

"Good." Mark nudges Quinn with his elbow. "I wanted to make sure we didn't need to give you breadcrumbs to find your way home."

I shake my head, parting them as I go back for Doc and lock up my place. As soon as I round the corner of the house, they jump apart. I struggle to keep a straight face; I have no doubt they're going to run this into the ground. I open the back-passenger door, allowing Doc to jump in before shutting it.

"Let us know when you arrive, so if we need to come find you again, we can get the team ready." Quinn's the biggest smartass there is, but then again, there's Mark.

"No need to worry, honey." Mark slaps Quinn on the back. "I put a kid finder app on his cell, so we can track him everywhere."

"Yeah, I've heard old people do that to young bucks." I flex, kissing my bicep.