Concerned, he’d taken a leave from observing his former girlfriend and spent a week in Singapore getting scanned and prodded and poked. In the end, he’d been given a clean bill of health. The doctor had said stress might be the cause and suggested taking a vacation.
Durrie decided not to worry so much about it. The migraines always went away soon enough.
He looked through the telescope again, then grinned.
“Hey, baby.”
Orlando had just stepped outside, her brat strapped to her chest in one of those baby carriers. Her aunt was with them. It was Saturday morning, so per their normal schedule, they would be heading to the market.
Just another dull day in Orlandoville.
What he would give to have Quinn show up again. Durrie had feasted on the apparent falling out between the two on Orlando’s porch a couple of weeks earlier. But Durrie knew his apprentice. If Quinn thought Orlando didn’t want him here, he wouldn’t return until she said it was okay.
A goddamn boy scout, but c’est la vie.
Durrie watched until Orlando, her aunt, and the brat disappeared from sight. He then walked over to the kitchen table, on which were stacks of maps and books and files and magazines. He took his usual seat and scanned the mounds of research.
Somewhere in here would be his way back to glory, and the means to deal with those who had wronged him.
It didn’t matter that it would probably take years to implement whatever his plan turned out to be. His inevitable success was the only important thing.
He opened his journal, checked his notes, and picked up where he’d left off.
Afterword
The story of The Damaged has been floating around my head since I wrote my first Quinn novel, The Cleaner, way back in 2004. It’s a tale I’ve always wanted to tell, but other stories kept me from having the time.
Fate, however, intervened on this, my thirteenth Quinn thriller. (Thirteen? Already? Well, technically it’s number fourteen if you count Becoming Quinn, but I digress.) I had started to write something else entirely, but that story wasn’t gelling the way I had hoped. It needed to bake a little longer in my mental oven. The hole in my schedule this created became the perfect opportunity to dive into The Damaged.
I’m very glad things happened the way they did. This was a story that needed to be written.
Yep, it’s a little different from most of the other Quinn novels. Being entirely set in Quinn’s past is something only my prequel novel, Becoming Quinn, and a few short stories have done to this point. And then there’s the not-quite-so-uplifting ending. Most of the other Quinn books, though not all, finish with satisfying conclusions. Am I sorry? Nope. That’s life. Or Quinn’s and Orlando’s lives, to be more precise.
For those of you who have read some or all of the other Quinn thrillers, this deeper dive into his past fills in some details that have only been alluded to previously. A few of you may have also noticed the inclusion of characters from other Quinn stories. Peter, of course, and at least three others come readily to mind, and I’m sure I’m forgetting someone. Weaving them in has been great fun.
And for those of you who are reading a Quinn thriller for the first time, you’ve just gained some background knowledge that will give you insight into Quinn’s and Orlando’s lives as you move forward.
A little behind-the-scenes trivia: for years, the working title for this story has been Durrie’s First Death. Yeah, you’re absolutely right. It would have been a little too on the nose. I owe a debt of gratitude to my editor, Elyse, for keeping me from making the mistake of using it. As she rightly pointed out, it didn’t really fit in with the other Quinn titles.
Smart person, that Elyse.
Wondering when Quinn will be back? Don’t worry, you don’t have long to wait. The next Quinn adventure will be released in late fall of 2019 and will be set in the present day, with most, if not all, the usual suspects in tow.
Now, if I’m going to make that deadline, I’d better get back to work.
Brett Battles
July 2019
Glendale, California
Acknowledgments
First and foremost (and always), thank you to the ever vigilant Elyse Dinh-McCrillis, my editor/copyeditor/proofreader/idea sounding board/friend. She keeps me on the straight and narrow. Also, much thanks to Robert Gregory Browne for his continued great book covers. He’s done all the Quinn books since The Destroyed, the three Excoms novels, and that cool cover on the first Nate standalone, Night Man.
(Wait? You didn’t know there was a Nate standalone? Then you need to click here and learn more!)
Thanks to Jill Fulkerson Marnell, longtime friend and invaluable proofreader. And to Corri Gryting Gutzman for her assistance on the proofing front, too! (You can never have too many eyes looking at your stuff.) Thanks also to the members of my Street Team, for all the help you’ve given me over the years.
My dog, Maggie, is pawing at my chair, which I think is her way of saying, “Don’t forget about me, too.” Thank you, Maggie. You drive me crazy sometimes, but you’re a good pup. Mostly.
About the Author
Brett Battles is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling and Barry Award-winning author of over thirty-five novels, including those in the Jonathan Quinn series, the Excoms series, and the time-hopping Rewinder series. He’s also the coauthor, with Robert Gregory Browne, of the Alexandra Poe series.
Keep updated on new releases and other book news, and get exclusive content by subscribing to Brett’s newsletter here.
You can learn more at his website: brettbattles.com
And around the internet:
Also by Brett Battles
THE JONATHAN QUINN THRILLERS
Novels
BECOMING QUINN
THE CLEANER
THE DECEIVED
SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (U.S.)/THE UNWANTED (U.K.)
THE SILENCED
THE DESTROYED
THE COLLECTED
THE ENRAGED
THE DISCARDED
THE BURIED
THE UNLEASHED
THE AGGRIEVED
Novellas
NIGHT WORK
Short Stories
“Just Another Job”—A Jonathan Quinn Story
“Off the Clock”—A Jonathan Quinn Story
“The Assignment”—An Orlando Story
“Lesson Plan”—A Jonathan Quinn Story
“Quick Study”—An Orlando Story
THE NIGHT MAN CHRONICLES
NIGHT MAN
THE EXCOMS THRILLERS
THE EXCOMS
TOWN AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS
CITY OF NOPE
THE REWINDER THRILLERS
REWINDER
DESTROYER
SURVIVOR
THE LOGAN HARPER THRILLERS
LITTLE GIRL GONE
EVERY PRECIOUS THING
THE PROJECT EDEN THRILLERS
SICK
EXIT NINE
PALE HORSE
ASHES
EDEN RISING
DREAM SKY
DOWN
THE ALEXANDRA POE THRILLERS
COWRITTEN WITH ROBERT GREGORY BROWNE
POE
TAKEDOWN
STANDALONES
Novels
THE PULL OF GRAVITY
NO RETURN
MINE
Novellas
MINE: THE ARRIVAL
Short Stories
“Perfect Gentleman”
For Younger Readers
THE TROUBLE FAMILY CHRONICLES
HERE COMES MR. TROUBLE
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