The divorced military queen awakens novel

Chapter 309 Riverpoint Arrival Quinn and Harlan stepped off the regional jet into Riverpoint , the second - largest city in Doria . Because Riverpoint bustled with a sizable Clusian diaspora , both Clusian and Uprian drifted through the air like twin currents . Ordering food , hailing cabs , even small talk at the curb came effortlessly , the comfort of familiar words softening the strangeness of a foreign skyline . " Have you booked a place to stay yet ?

" Quinn asked , tightening the strap on her shoulder bag as they waited beside the taxi queue . " I have - same hotel as you , " Harlan replied , casual yet decisive . Quinn's brow arched , curiosity mingling with suspicion . " And how exactly did you know which hotel I chose ? " " Laura reached out before we flew , " Harlan explained . " She wanted me to run a quiet security check on your hotel . Once it cleared , I figured booking a room there made sense .

" Warmth unfurled inside Quinn like dawn light spilling through sheer curtains . She had not expected Laura's discreet vigilance , and the discovery made the world feel a shade safer . " Then let's get moving ," she said , flagging down the next cab . The hotel rose in polished glass and pale stone a few blocks from the riverfront . Check - in proved swift , passports stamped , keycards handed over with rehearsed smiles .

Their rooms faced one another across a narrow corridor - doors close enough that a knock or a hurried call would carry easily . " So , Quinnie , what do you plan to do first ? " Harlan asked once their luggage was stowed . " First the police station ," she said , voice steady . " After that , I need to visit the place where my brother was last seen . Maybe the ground still remembers something we don't . " " I'm coming with you ," Harlan answered , the promise offered without flourish .

Quinn did not argue . She simply nodded , acceptance shining behind her eyes . They rented a compact sedan , city map glowing on the dashboard screen , and headed toward the police station , the tires whispering over sun - baked asphalt . Thanks to strings quietly pulled by the Azanian Embassy in Doria , the local detectives produced the five- year - old case file within minutes . Time , however , had eaten holes through the record .

What remained was little more than a single stark line " Vagrant obstructed vehicle , removed from scene . " " Was the vagrant's name never documented ? " Quinn asked , leaning closer to the yellowed page . " If he'd given one , we would have written it down ," the officer said , weary yet patient . " No name usually means he didn't have one , or couldn't remember . Many on the streets struggle with their minds ." Could Rowan have taken a head injury so severe he forgot even himself ?

Is that why he vanished into Doria , silent to the army , silent to us ? Leaving the station , they drove to the address Marley had once pinpointed in a grainy video . Five years had altered little - the same cracked pavement , the same leaning streetlamp , the same hush of disinterest III < 1/2 Chapter 309 Riverpoint Arrival from passing traffic . At the intersection's shadowed corner , Quinn stopped , gaze fixed on an empty patch of curb as though it were an open wound .

Her mind replayed the footage . Rowan being dragged , limp and unresisting , then discarded like refuse The brother who had once seemed unbreakable had looked fragile , a felled oak stripped of branches . " Quinnic ? " Harlan murmured , stepping beside her . " You've been staring for a while . " My brother was thrown here , " she whispered , the words landing heavier than stones . " Rowan ? " Harlan's disbelief cracked through his composure . " How could that possibly be ?

" Quinn's eyes clouded , a shimmering film threatening to spill . " Back then , he waved down a passing car for help , " she said , her voice frayed at the edges . " Instead of pulling him in , the people inside told their bodyguards to haul him to the shoulder and dump him there like trash . Simply speaking those words felt like reopening a wound - cach syllable rasped across raw nerves , leaving a dull throb hanging in the air . Harlan leaned in , brows knitting . " Who was in that car ?

Did you manage to find out ? " Quinn lowered her lashes , bitterness tugging at her mouth . " Julius Whitethorn ." The name struck Harlan like a slap . Recognition flickered across his face , and in that instant he understood why Quinn had walked away from Julius without warning . " Rowan is going to be all right ," Harlan said , steady as a promise . " Let's start by asking around , " Quinn replied . " Maybe someone still remembers what happened five years ago .

" At this point , luck was the only compass they had left . To her surprise , a gray - haired shopkeeper squinted when she posed the question . " Oh , you're digging into that too ? Must've been some big shot , that homeless fellow from five years back . People keep coming , always sniffing after his trail ." Quinn's pulse jumped . " Who else has been asking ? " " Strangers ," the shopkeeper said , eyes gleaming with greed . " A whole crew of them .

They flashed a thick roll of bills for answers . " Harlan offered a relaxed smile , produced a handful of crisp notes , and laid them on the counter . " Share whatever you know , and these are yours ." O