Ripper (Hunter #1)(47)

“I’m here on an investigation.” Gray shook his head. “I’m not playing any games. Kelsey is a contractor. She’s a PI who’s working with me. You should let her go. She doesn’t have anything to do with Quinn’s arrest.”

“Your name is Kelsey?” Zack said my name slowly, as though tasting it.

“Yes.” I wondered who the hell I resembled that the werewolf would be so concerned with who I was. “I’m Kelsey Atwood.”

I pulled a card out of the purse I’d fought Liv on carrying. The tiny clutch she’d sworn went with the dress couldn’t hold anything more than a cell, some gloss, and my cards.

Zack studied the card. “Atwood? Any relation to Nathan?”

“He’s my brother.” I hoped I wasn’t about to get Nate in serious trouble.

Zack started to say something when twin doors slid open revealing an elevator that led directly into the cozy office. The lights in the office were dim, giving the entire place an intimate glow, but the elevator lights rushed in and I got my first glimpse of the notorious Devinshea Quinn. He radiated anger as he strode out of the elevator, still buttoning his white dress shirt. Black slacks hung low on his ridiculously muscled hips. Gray had definitely interrupted something.

I swallowed once and then twice. Dark hair. Emerald eyes. The most perfectly masculine body I’ve ever seen in my life. The man practically had a f*cking halo around his hips, and by hips I meant his goddamn cock. It had a halo. He was…stunning and it wasn’t simply the gorgeous body or the next-to-perfect face. It was something about him. You looked at that man and you just knew he could take care of you, and I meant that in the dirtiest way possible. Liv had described him as a fertility god, but he was a SEX god. There was no other way to describe him.

“You can close your mouth, Kelsey,” Gray said harshly.

A deep flush crashed through me. I was going to apologize for staring, but the sex god had a few things to say to my date.

“You motherf*cker,” that glorious bit of masculinity spewed as he faced off with the bigger, way more demonic man. It didn’t seem to faze him. “How dare you show your face in my club? I told you what would happen if I ever caught you on one of my properties again.”

“Bring it on, Quinn,” Gray snarled back. “You have any idea how long I’ve waited for you to give me a reason to take you down?”

Gray stood and faced the club owner over his desk. The men were inches from each other and I worried Gray was going to kill the man. It didn’t seem like it would be anywhere close to a fair fight. Gray had all the power and strength of a demon and the faery was…well, he was a faery…with an awfully dirty mouth.

“Oh, you sad sack, piece of shit demon, you couldn’t take me down if you tried.” His green eyes lit with a vicious sort of glee. “Oh, wait, you did try. Didn’t f*cking work out for you, did it? How was your suspension, Lieutenant? Hope you had a good vacation.”

“You cost me a month,” Gray admitted.

“Did you visit Daddy?” Quinn asked, sarcasm dripping. “How was the Hell plane? Did it feel like home? Clock’s ticking for you, isn’t it?”

Gray’s eyes narrowed. “I spent the whole time investigating you. I don’t care who you sleep with. I’m going to prove all of it. I’m going to prove the illegal gambling, the gun running, the mob connections. You’re dirty as hell and I’m going to bring your whole house down.”

The sex god practically vibrated with rage. “You come anywhere near my family and I will make the Hell plane seem like a good hiding place. I swear you lay one f*cking hand on my wife or my children and I’ll take you apart piece by piece.”

Gray’s face was tight, his eyes faintly cruel as he got in the other man’s space. “I note you don’t try to protect your other lover.”

Quinn rolled his eyes, his disdain plain. “Daniel can handle himself. Maybe it’s time I let him handle you, Sloane. You’ve become a nuisance. Zack, show the lieutenant to the door. Make sure he doesn’t come back. I don’t want to see this f*cker again.”

“Fine, boss, but I want to know about her first,” Zack said and I could hear the willpower in his voice.

“You leave her out of this.” Gray strode over to take my hand.

It appeared we were going to make a hasty retreat. My heart dropped at the thought of not being able to use this opportunity. Tomorrow I had to inform Helen Taylor her daughter had been murdered and I couldn’t even tell her I’d made any headway on who had done it. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt if I could convince Devinshea Quinn to take me seriously that he could get other people to talk to me. I was certain deep down that our perp was a supe, so this was his world. If Gray wasn’t effective here, then I had to step up to the plate.

“Mr. Quinn, my name is Kelsey Atwood.” I used my most polite and even voice as I pulled away from Gray. Gray was pissed, but I had to salvage this. Just because he was getting his ass kicked out didn’t mean I had to get mine tossed, too. He’d asked for my help. I hoped he wasn’t too angry at how he got it. “I’m investigating a series of murders, and I could really use your help.”

The faery turned his attention to me as though he was surprised to see someone else was in the room. All of his anger and attention had been focused on Gray. He stared for a moment and I thought he was going to tell Zack to chuck me out. He sighed as though resolving himself to something. “You have ten minutes, Ms. Atwood.”