21. Are you sure you’re not an angel in disguise? #4
I grimaced. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”
It took Quinn’s grandfather almost twenty minutes to calm my husband down. A whispered suggestion brought Quinn’s tirade to a halt, and he let out a breath in a gusty sigh. “Fine. I’ll go.”
A few minutes later, he left with an off-duty cop to go to a gym down the street. It amazed me the former gorgon king had managed to soothe the raging police chief and convince him to leave the station without me.
“That was amazing. How did you do that? I need to know so I can use it against him. What did you tell him?”
“I merely suggested he might lash out at you by accident. He’s been wound tight since you were taken. An hour in the gym should take the edge off and soothe his frayed nerves. His father is the same way.”
I saw so many problems with the idea of him going out unsupervised I wasn’t sure where to begin. When Quinn decided to do something, he did it. The man took stubborn pride and determination to the extreme. I thought of everything he had done to lure me to him without me suspecting a thing.
I shook off the feeling Quinn had just hoodwinked us all and turned to Chief Hollands. “Can you shine some light on his little freakout there?”
“It’s a typical reaction when a husband or father figures out he may be to blame for something that happened to someone he loves.
Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Quinn. He likely realized there was something he had said or done that may have suggested to Audrey McGee you were somehow responsible for his behavioral changes.
He may also be trying to come to terms with being the one questioned instead of the one doing the questioning. ”
I turned to Quinn’s grandfather and waited.
“That sounds about right to me. Don’t look so alarmed, Bailey.
The only one in any danger is Audrey. If their paths cross, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to deal with her himself.
He’s well within his rights to kill her for her crimes without a trial or jury.
Gorgon laws trump human laws in cases like this.
The kidnapping and attempted coercion of a prince’s bride is punishable by death.
He’ll feel better about the situation if he deals with Audrey himself. ”
A man capable of becoming a predominant police chief with only six months of field experience could do just about anything. One off-duty cop didn’t stand a chance against Quinn. Worse, I expected the off-duty cop would be happy to do anything to please him.
Most people did.
A headache brewed behind my eyes. “You really don’t think he’s not going to do something stupid like ditch his cop babysitter?
I can see it now. He gets nice and sweaty doing whatever it is manly men do in the gym and pretends to take a shower so he can slip out the back and do what he wants.
Are we talking about the same person here?
The one I know, Mr. Police Chief Samuel Quinn, does not tolerate people who are a threat to his peace of mind or his people.
I could see him doing something like ditch his babysitter so he can resolve this problem in the most expeditious way possible, especially since it’s legal for him to do so. ”
Over the years I had seen him tear strips off his cops for taking unnecessary risks only to go and do the incredibly stupid and risky thing he had just scolded his officers for doing.
Him entering my apartment to activate the glass coffin came to mind.
It wouldn’t have cost him anything except his peace of mind to request someone from the CDC do the work.
“I find that unlikely,” Chief Hollands replied with a scornful sniff.
“Oh, no. I think it’s absolutely likely.
Probable, in fact. His new wife was taken from him on their wedding night,” my grandfather-in-law countered.
“He left her in a station full of capable cops and me. Most importantly, he waited for his other grandfathers—yes, the angel and the incubus—to leave before blowing his lid. Want to make any bets? I’ll win. ”
I sighed. Quinn could take care of himself, couldn’t he?
If he wanted to do something about his ex-wife, I couldn’t really stop him—I wanted her out of the picture, too.
Too many lives had been lost for her to be allowed to run loose.
Bad luck had put me in the line of fire more than once, and I viewed it as a miracle I had survived to tell the tale.
Maybe a better wife would have trusted her husband more. Then again, I had met his family. They were nuts, all of them. They had started a brawl in a courtroom and viewed it as good entertainment. Not even an angel had wanted to break that party up. Quinn would be fine, wouldn’t he?
I massaged the bridge of my nose and willed my headache to fade. It didn’t obey. “I’m going to have to go rescue him, aren’t I?”
“He’s only going up against a handful of gorgons, Bailey. That’s hardly reason for concern.”
Right. Quinn’s entire family was utterly insane.
I should have known his gorgon grandfather wouldn’t think there was any reason for concern.
“You know what? I don’t care. I don’t want to know.
Let’s assume the idiot decides to run off and cause trouble.
Where would the trouble be found and can I get in on it? ”
Chief Hollands groaned and hung his head.
Quinn’s grandfather grinned and dug a glass bottle out of his pocket, giving it a shake so the pills inside rattled.
“I happen to have transformative pills with me. Who am I to say no to a fire-breathing unicorn? In gorgon culture, it is perfectly acceptable for a young prince’s bride to go and correct her wayward male for failing to do as told.
I see no reason you couldn’t make an appearance and encourage him to return a little faster. ”
I no longer knew whether I hated or loved gorgons. Damn it. “How about a canister of neutralizer and some handcuffs instead? I’ll hide behind the gorgon king and watch—and help if he really can’t handle it on his own.”
“Former king.”
“So you’re not up to par with a human prince? How disappointing.” I shrugged. “Oh, well. I had to try. Chief Hollands, assuming Quinn gets himself into trouble, is it legal in Vermont to use restricted substances to put an end to a serious gorgon infestation?”
“If the handler is certified, yes, it is legal.”
I smiled. So many substances, so little time. I could bring absolute chaos to the gorgon hive with five minutes, a phoenix feather, and some magical napalm. “How nice. I have an idea.”