20. You can eat this nice steak instead of my hand. #4
I wondered what the first was, but I wasn’t brave enough to ask. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
Shaking his head, Quinn adjusted his hold on me and flicked my nose with a finger. “You did the right thing, and while I don’t like it, we both know it.”
“Please elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the contamination.”
I echoed Quinn’s sigh and detailed how the glass containers had been set up in the ceiling, wired with C4.
It took me almost half an hour to describe how the trap had been set up, my speculations on what would have happened if the CDC had attempted standard decontamination, and what I feared would have happened if the napalm hadn’t lit.
At first, I considered leaving out the part about my napalm bender, but I grumbled a few curses and confessed I’d been so drunk I couldn’t actually remember much after I had finished igniting the twenty-first floor.
Quinn chuckled. “I’ll confess, after I could breathe again once I realized Bailey had survived, watching her completely skunked on napalm was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in my life.
Her antics lasted almost two hours. She played in the debris, putting on a show for the reporters and giving New Yorkers some of the best news clips of the year.
Fortunately, we were able to keep her name out of the papers by telling everyone we intentionally brought in a magical species capable of igniting the high-intensity napalm. ”
“Oh. Quinn. Audrey told me her brother had refused to breathe in any of the dust and provide her sisters with children. She gave him the bomb and the dust. He had no idea what he had. She told me she had killed him. She could have been the one behind the Wall Street incident. She’s a little crazy, Quinn. ”
“A little?”
“What else did McGee tell you?”
“Not much. I wasn’t with her long. She left me with her pet incubus. From what I could tell, she wanted him to be the father. It was the same one from the bar, Quinn. He wasn’t quite right in the head, either. He acted like a little kid unless sex was involved.”
Quinn frowned. “How much do you remember from the eight days you were gone?”
“Nothing. I woke up, Audrey talked to me for a few minutes, then she left me with the incubus—he wanted to play poker.” Grimacing, I confessed my sins and my very inappropriate handling of the pixie dust, although I did make a point of emphasizing I only meant to use a small amount rather than the entire vial.
“Do you have any memories you think were a dream? That’s a rather common symptom of sedation.” Chief Hollands drummed his fingers on his desk. “Is there any chance you were assaulted while you were under sedation?”
Quinn tensed and squeezed me so tightly I squeaked. “There’s no chance she was assaulted. I would have known.” Loosening his hold, he lifted his left arm, revealing his golden tattoo. “When the incubus influenced her, I was aware of her panic—and her serious case of lust.”
Crap. “Quinn—”
He covered my mouth with his hand. “Shh, Bailey. You did nothing wrong. Damon, our bracelets didn’t discharge, so I knew the incubus hadn’t managed to catch her in his trap.
Bailey, I’ll keep telling you this until you believe it: you did nothing wrong.
Incubi can influence just about anyone. Grandfather told me afterwards we can get feedback from the bracelets if there might be a situation requiring it.
The bracelets take energy from both of us to discharge.
The tattoos were winding up to strike, but you escaped the situation on your own.
Also, Grandfather assured me the bracelets would work even when we’re unconscious. No one touched you.”
I deserved a prize. Who else managed to escape an incubus’s influence so many times?
“Hah. That incubus must be pissed. That’s the second time I’ve gotten away from him.
Look at me, escaping from an incubus without doing anything indecent.
Isn’t there a prize for that? You should give me a prize, Quinn. I deserve one.”
A startled laugh burst out of Quinn. “So you do. I will think of something appropriate.”
Yes, please.
Chief Hollands looked through a folder on his desk and tapped a sheet. “Samuel, do you think the bar incident was a deliberate attempt to lure Bailey to the site?”
Shaking his head, Quinn sighed. “No, I don’t.
My grandfather spoke to my cousin, who had been at the bar.
The incubus had arrived before he did and was just starting to pick out a few lovers for himself.
He got caught up in the incubus’s power.
There was no evidence it was anything other than a coincidence. Anyway, Audrey had gone to my house.”
“Ah, that reminds me. She wanted to remove me from your evil clutches so you wouldn’t steal my virginity. That was very important to her, Quinn. I got the vibe the incubus knew I wasn’t a virgin, but he didn’t say anything to her about it. She didn’t want me tainted by your evil ways.”
Quinn’s smug smile made an appearance. “I see.”
Chief Hollands sighed. “How often did your ex-wife contact you?
“Every couple of months she’d show up to ask a question about paperwork.
She was never the most organized person.
I’d give her a copy of the paper she needed.
She’d leave. The last time she was at my house, however, she was after Bailey—the night of the bar incident.
As soon as I found out Audrey was at my house, Bailey and I decided to go to the Plaza instead. ”
“Why?”
I snorted. “It probably had something to do with my threats of killing the whore if she got between me and taking Quinn into his bedroom. I may have still been under the influence of the incubus.”
With a chuckle, Quinn hugged me. “Bailey likes to run her mouth, but I wasn’t going to risk it, not after she had been around an incubus. She’s very determined, and she probably would have started a fight with my ex-wife, all things considered.”
“You two have had an eventful few weeks. I have the report on McGee’s visit to your home, which includes notations about her new status as a gorgon.
According to this, none of the petrified individuals were infected with the gorgon virus, fortunately.
It’s unknown if she’s an actual carrier or merely became a gorgon after her exposure to gorgon dust. Do either of you know? ”
“No,” we replied.
“Are there any other details you think might be important?”
“I already mentioned it was the same incubus, right?”
Both men nodded.
“To confirm, the male gorgon from the bar incident is one of your relatives, Chief Quinn?”
“Yes. He’s been educated about the error of his ways, and my grandfathers questioned him about the incident.”
I stifled a yawn and leaned against Quinn.
“You know, we’re really bad at this taking everything from the top thing.
We’re all over the place. I’m starting to lose track of what happened, and I lived it.
Hey, Quinn? Can we use one of those fancy murder boards they have on television?
I think we should. It’ll be fun. I’ve never gotten to use a murder board before. ”
“How about a white board and some markers?” Chief Hollands suggested.
“That doesn’t seem as fun as those digital things they have on television, Chief Hollands.”
“Reality is often disappointing.”
“Bummer.”
“Still, it’s a good idea we pool our information, lay it out, and take it from the top. Let’s break for an hour and come back to it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy a chance to stretch your legs, get changed, and get some fresh air, Mrs. Quinn.”
Clothes would be useful, although I didn’t mind cuddling up to Quinn at all. “Sounds good.”
If it meant having a real chance to get rid of Quinn’s ex-wife so she never bothered us again, I’d talk my throat bloody to see it happen. Quinn was mine, and I wasn’t going to let a psycho gorgon ex-wife separate us.