Guarding Her Heart | t.swift

Chapter 50: The Call of Nashville

Quincy made sure Taylor was in bed, safe and sound, then closed her door softly before heading to her own room. While she washed her face, she remembered she hadn't talked to Carlos about the incident.

Slipping out of Taylor's front door, Quincy went to the lower floor where the team resided. She spotted Carlos pacing the hallway, busy with a phone call. When he saw Quincy, he apologised, then ended the call and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

Quincy wanted to ask who he was talking to but was more focused on making sure Carlos was okay and finding out where he was the night Taylor got roofied.

"Carlos," Quincy greeted him, "can we talk?"

Carlos nodded, "Of course."

Quincy gestured at the door where he and Simon shared a room. Quincy knew Simon had left earlier to have dinner with his wife and kids, as he did every night, so if would offer them privacy.

Entering the room, Quincy scanned it out of habit—some training just never left her. Carlos moved to the kitchen, asking if she wanted anything. Quincy denied, saying she just wanted to check on him.

She noticed Carlos fidgeting but recalled Simon, mentioning he was a nervous person when not on duty, so she didn't read into it too much. She took a seat on the couch and sighed, the new scenery offering her a respite she didn't realise she needed.

Carlos sat down with her, sipping on a glass of juice. He clumsily gathered the papers on the table, telling Quincy they were Simon's reports that he had to finish. Quincy nodded and suggested she could take them with her when she left, but Carlos shook his head.

"Simon didn't finish them, so I offered to finish, then scan and send it to you on your tablet," he said. "I like to do the work to make sure it's done correctly."

"Thank you," Quincy nodded, accepting his help. "Carlos, about the night you were supposed to help me out... Why didn't you assist when things got rough?"

Carlos answered, "I was there in the crowd. I thought I only needed to be there for crowd work, as usual."

Quincy sighed but nodded, understanding Carlos hadn't been in the field that long. She couldn't expect from Carlos the same level of performance she did from Simon.

"Thanks for your help nonetheless, Carlos, but next time, don't worry about the crowd when we don't have enough man power to control it," Quincy said, standing. "And I'm sorry for leaving you behind. Taylor was the priority."

Carlos waved her off, offering a smile. "I understand. Taylor's safety comes first."

Quincy nodded and left the room, telling Carlos to let Simon know she hoped he had a good night. She returned to Taylor's floor, doing a perimeter check and ensuring all locks, alarms, and cameras were functional before retiring to her room for the night.

Lying in bed, Quincy finally allowed herself to relax. The day's events replayed in her mind, but the knowledge that Taylor was safe brought her a sense of peace. Despite the emotional and physical exhaustion, she felt a renewed determination to protect Taylor and navigate the complicated feelings that had surfaced.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

In the morning, Kelly video called Quincy, waking her up to the familiar ringtone. Quincy groaned and fumbled for her phone, finally accepting the call. Kelly's face appeared on the screen, bright and energetic as always, busy getting ready for the day.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Kelly greeted, brushing her hair in front of the mirror.

Quincy shuffled out of bed and headed to the kitchen, her eyes half-open. "Morning, Kells. What's up?"