Ripper (Hunter #1)(48)

Gray reached for my hand again, this time yanking me toward him. “No, Kelsey. If you think I’m leaving you alone with him you’re crazy. He hates me. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”

“He’s capable of answering my questions.” I needed him to understand. He held my hand in a firm grip and when I tried to pull away, he tightened around me.

“No,” Gray said implacably.

“Hey.” Zack tried to get between us. His eyes changed colors and I saw the beginnings of claws flash from his hands. “You’re hurting her. Let her go.”

“She’s mine,” Gray insisted with intent in his eyes. He would fight this Zack guy if he stepped between us. It looked like my lawman had a little caveman thrown in for good measure. “She comes with me.”

Quinn sank back into his chair and there was a deep weariness in his eyes as he regarded the scene playing out in front of him. “Shouldn’t that be up to Ms. Atwood? Do you intend to force a female against her will, Sloane? It would be in your character, I suppose.”

Gray dropped my hand immediately. “I’m asking you to come with me, Kelsey.”

My stomach knotted because I was about to make a huge mistake, but I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t going to side with Quinn. I wasn’t betraying Gray. I was being true to our case. He was a Ranger. He would understand when he gave it a little thought.

I backed up just enough to let him know I was staying. “I’m sorry. I only want to ask him a couple of questions. We need those IDs. I’ll come downstairs when I’m done and we can go back to your place.”

His face hardened, his eyes turning to stone. “Don’t bother.” His gaze slid across me and I saw the rage there. “You made your choice. I’ll show myself out, Quinn.”

Gray turned and strode out the door. It was all I could do not to rush after him and beg him to forgive me. I felt his physical absence keenly. It was like all the warmth had left the room. I banished the tears that threatened and turned to Dev Quinn because Gray was right. The choice had been made and I had to live with it. I’d chosen my job over Gray, though at the time I’d really thought I was saving the situation. “Do you mind if I sit?”

He indicated the chair in front of his desk and turned to the wall behind him. He pushed the panel and revealed a small refrigerator. He pulled out a frosty bottle, snagged two glasses, and sat down behind his desk.

“Dev?” Zack asked.

The faery shook his head. “Talk to your master, Zack.”

“Come on,” Zack said, exasperated.

Green eyes gave away nothing. “You have to talk to him. I can’t give you anything. Please, go make sure the lieutenant doesn’t cause any more trouble tonight. She’s perfectly safe here. Your nose knows the truth so you know damn well I won’t harm her.”

The werewolf turned and he seemed as irritated as Gray had been as he walked out of the room.

Quinn poured the cold liquid into the shot glasses with practiced skill. “Please, join me, Ms. Atwood. I’ll be perfectly pleasant, I promise. I’m afraid the lieutenant brings out the worst in me. I have issues with authority. My wife thinks I should go into therapy to deal with the problem, but I’m perfectly comfortable with it.”

I sank down into the chair and tried to banish the horrible feeling that I’d lost something important. Had I been wrong to not blindly follow him? “Sure.”

“It’s for the best,” Quinn said, holding out a glass to me. “I can see plainly you have feelings for him, but…he is what he is. He can’t change his fate and he’ll drag you down with him.”

“He’s only half demon.” I took the glass in my hand and shot it back. It was vodka and it was so smooth, it was practically water. Maybe if I had another ten shots or so I could forget that look in Gray’s eyes.

Quinn poured two more shots. He seemed familiar with the process. “Do you know what I am?”

“You’re a fertility god.”

His eyes bled to a startlingly deep green. It filled his entire eye and left no white. It was…beautiful. A person could get seriously lost in those eyes. His voice was deeper and held a hint of an Irish accent when he spoke again. “I am, indeed, Ms. Atwood. It’s one of my talents to be able to see what a person needs and wants sexually. It’s something of a portal into a person’s soul. You seek comfort, love, caring. You haven’t found them yet. I can see that you and the lieutenant are well matched on that front. Sex with him will be exciting and it will feel like heaven, but he needs more than you can give him, more than any woman can give him. You will love him and he will break your heart. What would you say if I told you I could offer you a viable alternative? I know a man who could give you the things you crave while taking only what you are willing to give. The relationship won’t be as intense as the one with Grayson Sloane, but neither will it be as painful. It would be a loving friendship between kindred spirits.”

“Mr. Quinn, I didn’t come here for your advice on my love life.” I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. As far as I could tell, it didn’t matter anymore. Gray seemed to be done with me the moment I caused him trouble. I was a whole shit ton of trouble so it was better to know at the beginning. “If I only have ten minutes of your time, I would prefer to use it on work.”