12. If Officer Fluffy barked at me, I’d sock him in the snout. #4
“Dying usually is. And no offense, but I’m done with this whole dying thing already.”
The angels laughed, and one of them touched their long, slender finger to my nose. “Amusing human. Such entertainment over such a little time.”
Next time I asked for an angel, I hoped someone reminded me angels made bad things happen to me. I staggered to my feet with the help of a fallen chair and slogged to the door, swallowing my curses so the angels wouldn’t actually smite me.
Two police cruisers and a shiny red convertible waited in front of the bar. “Oh boy.”
Quinn leaned against his car talking to four officers, and when he caught sight of me, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Enjoy your nap? Are you aware you’re dripping pink slime all over the place? You look like the victim of a glitter factory explosion.”
Behind me, the angels laughed. If they never stopped making the sound, I’d be happy. I could listen to them all day long and never tire of it. “The strong little human only died a little, see?”
They stepped around me and vanished in a flash of golden light, and when darkness fell, the goop crumbled to a shimmery powder and piled around my feet. My clothes remained wet, but at least I no longer left puddles on the sidewalk.
“Oh, it’s Chief Quinn. Hi, Chief Quinn. I got my ass smited by a pair of angels, and I asked for it.”
Quinn didn’t look impressed. “I think you mean smote. Next time, when you request angels, leave the scene before they start singing.”
“Didn’t you hear them, Chief Quinn? I only died a little.” Maybe pulling the tiger’s tail wasn’t so great of an idea, especially since he did a full body twitch when I said the word died. “I found out it’s gorgon mating season.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Uh oh. Quinn kept his tone calm and collected, his expression neutral, and save for his crossed arms and the occasional twitch, his body remained relaxed. His utter control did unfair things to me, including reminding me how nice he looked without a single stitch of clothes on. Crap.
Inappropriate or not, I undressed the man with my eyes, looking him over from his face all the way down to his polished shoes.
Yep. Had he strolled into the incubus-infested bar, I would’ve jumped him and started ripping his clothes off. What I would have done to—with—him wasn’t legal in any state. Damn, damn, damn. I loved everything about the man, even—especially—when he was pissed at me for doing something stupid.
I was in way too deep.
I straightened, stared him in the eyes, and stated, “I am not sorry I beat the shit out of the gorgon. I’m okay with it if you need to arrest me.” Since I was cooperating, I even held my hands out. “I’ll even let you handcuff me without putting up a fight.”
One of the cops choked, probably so he wouldn’t laugh. Me and my big, stupid mouth. Why couldn’t I say something serious without mangling it or turning it into something far worse than I actually meant?
Quinn cleared his throat, and the cop quieted. “The attempted assault was caught on both body cams with full audio. You’re not going to be arrested, and you won’t even need to show up in court.”
“He tried to petrify me!”
“So I saw.”
I lifted my chin. “O’Daniel wouldn’t let me kill him. I think that’s unfair. That gorgon was working with an incubus.”
“I’m aware, seeing as that’s the reason you requested an angel in the first place.”
“I got smited, Chief Quinn. Smote. Whatever. Angels sang, the lights went out.” I was whining, but hadn’t I earned at least a little whining?
“Then you got the dumbass idea to request a halo. That was not one of your brighter moments.”
Yippee. If I got really lucky, Quinn would dress me down in front of his four cops for at least an hour. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sorry. How long have I been bathing in neutralizer?”
If I’d been in it for more than an hour, I’d be going right back to the hospital for vaccinations. Again.
Quinn put on an infuriatingly sexy show of checking his watch, humming while he considered the time.
“Seventeen minutes. I should have let you stew in there for sixty-one minutes, Gardener. I was so, so tempted to let you stew in there for sixty-one minutes. Do you know what would have happened if I had?”
I lowered my head and accepted my scolding with the little dignity I had left, reminding myself he did it to all his cops who did something stupid. “I would have needed vaccinations, Chief Quinn.”
Giving the correct answer earned me a round of applause. “The tanker left about five minutes before you staggered out of the bar like a drunk. The angels suggested we leave you in the neutralizer for fifteen minutes just to be safe since you had finished dying a little.”
“Right.” Quinn wasn’t going to let go of the whole dying a little thing, was he? Then again, I couldn’t blame him for it. If he’d been the one who had died a little, I wouldn’t have been so calm or collected. “I’m soaking wet and have no other clothes, Chief Quinn.”
Sighing, Quinn shook his head. “Get in the damned car, Gardener.”