Hold me closer

Wishful thinking

Six hours had passed. Quinn had from a distance gotten to know the Nazari couple's security team on a first name basis, went over the floorplans of the hotel and gala as well as the drive between them, and requested two trustworthy people to help her after the gala. She was about as happy as she could be in that situation.

Quinn yawned and turned to Nia, who was asleep. She watched the sun shine on her perfect face, painting every unique area in gold. Nia was one of the most incredible people Quinn had ever met. She felt extremely lucky to get to be the one to look out for her. The thing that broke her heat, though...it wasn't going to last. It never could, not when she felt so strongly about her client. Something would go wrong and they would both have to pick themselves up, alone. In another life, they would be soulmates.

Thirty minutes later

Quinn took a deep breath, and then got off the plane before Nia. They were on the ground, at an open area, in a foreign country, and Quinn didn't like one bit of it. She walked fast so that Nia would walk fast too, and set her sight on a parking spot where the car they rented would be. Nia caught up to Quinn and tried to get her to slow down. "Hey! I'm running in heels, Quinn!" Quinn kept her eyes forwards. "Yes, you are. And you will be until we reach the car."

Quinn opened the backseat door for Nia, and then got in next to her. She checked her watch that she brought for this exact reason. "Twenty minutes, Don!" She called out to the driver, and then she finally sat back. Nia kept her eyes on Quinn, and it was clear that she didn't recognize her. "Is something... wrong?" Nia asked with a slightly unsteady voice. "You're scaring me." Quinn took another deep breath and finally looked at Nia. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just that this trip was planned very last minute, and I don't have many good experiences with such operations."

"Operations?" Nia let out the beginning of a laughter, and then her face became serious. "Are we in danger? I mean, more danger than usually?" She corrected herself after she saw the look on Quinn's face. "Anyone who wanted to could easily know where you and your family are right now. It's a Saturday evening, the gala is in the center of the city and our security team consists of two people. If you think about it, that gives the bad guys better odds than us."

Nia sat back, face forward and starting to look paler. Quinn hadn't even thought about the fact that she would scare Nia. The people she used to work with had either heard that their entire lives, or were children who didn't understand. Quinn took Nia's hand and kept a firm grip on it. "It's going to be okay. I'm sorry that I just went off."

Nia hugged Quinn's hand back. "No, it's okay. I think... I think I need to hear it." She smiled slightly and Quinn smiled back. "Leave the worrying to me. I won't let anyone hurt you." Quinn meant it with all of her heart. She would do anything to keep Nia safe. And she would give anything for a world where she didn't need to be kept safe.

The car was at the hotel one minute before Quinn's timeframe. "Can you go inside to see if the coast is clear?" The driver looked back at her as if to say "you expect me to do that?" Quinn sighed impatiently. She would have to take the risk that the hotel may be compromized, because she didn't want to leave
Nia alone for even a second right then. She looked over at Nia, who seemed focused and ready to go. Quinn grinned. That's my girl. "Okay, after you."

The short walk to the hotel was clear of enemies, and the hotel room was free of setups. Nia walked in when Quinn told her okay and threw herself onto a fancy double bed. "I'm exhausted. Aren't you exhausted?" Quinn sat down in a chair opposite to Nia and pulled her hands through her hair. "I can't afford to be exhausted." Nia looked at Quinn with sympathy. She didn't know that her current state was the side of her that showed more often than not. "So..." Nia had a mischievious grin on her face. "What did you pack for the gala?"

As much as Quinn wanted to not give a shit about the gala, she was actually quite nervous. She could've packed a suit, but for some reason she went for the long dress that she bought years ago, for a special occasion that never ended up happening. Quinn hadn't worn a dress since Kris and Kieran's wedding. "It's... it's a dress." Quinn let out carefully, and it was no challenge to see the excitement in Nia's eyes. "What about you?" Nia said in the most seductive voice, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Quinn kept a straight face as best as she could, which wasn't very good at all.

"Can I go visit my parent's room? I haven't seen my dad in a while." "Of course, but I'm coming too." Nia smiled confidently. "I was counting on that." She left the room with a wink and Quinn was about to swoon. She must've had an idea of the effect she had on Quinn, because she seemed to enjoy using it a lot. Quinn brushed herself off and then went after Nia. She checked her watch, showing two hours left until the gala. This really is happening.