Ripper (20 page)

He smiled and it lit up the room. It might be easy to see where Gray could dislike this man when he was shouting obscenities, but when he poured on the charm, it was impossible to not smile with him.

“It was getting somewhere,” he said with an intimate laugh. “Unfortunately, I’m certain that’s over. My goddess was yawning even as I walked out the door. She’s asleep by now and I won’t wake her up. Our daughter is teething and getting over an ear infection. The last few days have been rough. While Evangeline might be feeling better today, my wife is still recovering. Daniel took the baby with him. How he manages to play games with her, I don’t know. I hope she doesn’t chew up the boards. Those games are surprisingly expensive.”

“Evangeline? Are you talking about Evan?” Dan had mentioned he brought his kid with him to game nights. I guessed I was looking at the possibility Dan had embraced.

Quinn shuddered. “Only Daniel calls her that. Well, and all the wolves. It’s a terrible nickname for my beautiful little girl.”

“And Dan is your…?” I asked and then realized what a rude question it was. “Never mind. That’s none of my business.”

Quinn took his time with the vodka, savoring it. “I’m not offended, Kelsey. Daniel is my partner. We’re best friends, business partners, closer than brothers. We share a wife and our children. It is a common relationship where I come from, but it’s looked down on in this plane. The good lieutenant certainly looks down on it. My wife is hurt most by the prejudice. Daniel and I don’t care what people think of us.”

“Well, I’ve seen you both and I’d just high-five her,” I said without thinking about it. “Crap, did I say that out loud?”

Quinn threw back his head and laughed. “Yes, you did, but don’t worry about it. I find you quite charming, Kelsey. Much more charming than your…well, than I would have expected Sloane to score. Now, what is this case you’re investigating?”

I pulled out my phone. I’d scanned the files and pictures into it when I realized Liv wasn’t going to let me bring my bag. “I need to know if you recognize any of these girls.”

I passed him my phone with the pictures cued up, wanting to see if he could ID them all.

He ran a finger along the screen and his face sobered up quickly. “These girls are dead.”

“Yes, they are.” I watched his face, but all I saw there was sympathy.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I know this one’s name. She’s Joanne Taylor. Damn it. I recognize the rest of them, but I cannot place their names. I’m sorry. I can find out for you.”

“Are you the one who got them their…work?” It was a delicate question and I tried to keep it professional.

He sat back. “Obviously you know they were prostitutes, though I doubt they would have considered themselves such. They were mostly college girls who needed a little money and didn’t mind spending some time with vampires. Some of them had sex with their dates and others simply fed them. I didn’t directly get them work in the club, though I set up the system.”

“Because the king freed the slaves?”

“That was certainly part of the problem,” Quinn admitted. “The world changed quickly and we’re all scrambling to keep up with it. It seemed a smarter idea to use willing females than to tell the unattached vampires to fend for themselves.”

Put like that it made a whole lot of sense.

Quinn’s fist came down on the desk. “Damn it. When this gets out the wolves and the shifters will blame the vampires. Is there any way to keep this quiet while we find out who’s committing these crimes? Our alliances are still fragile. There are many in the werewolf community especially who think it was wrong to join with the vampires. Something like this could…it could start a civil war.”

I gnawed on my lip while I thought about that. I hadn’t considered the ramifications outside the obvious one. “I don’t intend to give any interviews or anything, but people are going to notice their daughters are missing. I have to tell my client that her daughter is dead. I can’t lie to her.”

“I understand,” the fertility god said. “I wouldn’t wish for her to not know, however if there is any way to keep the investigation quiet, it would help keep the peace. How can I help you? If Helen is your client, she can’t be paying you much.”

“It’s fine. She paid me to find out what happened to her daughter. I’m not going to stop because she doesn’t have the money for me long term. I need to catch this guy, Mr. Quinn. Even if Gray refuses to help me after this, I’ll stay on.”

Quinn opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a checkbook. He quickly wrote out a check and passed it to me. “Will that help your efforts?”

As it was more money than I’d made in the last several months combined, I had to nod. I was thinking of all the things I could buy with that money. I could upgrade my laptop. I could walk through the gadget stores and buy all the cool little things that would make my job so much easier because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to take on more interesting cases. Images of night vision gear played around in my head.

“Excellent. Then consider me your client. That’s your retainer. Please let me know if you need more. You’ll need to get into the vampire club.”

I tore my eyes away from the ridiculously large check. “Yes, I need access to the club. Can you tell them to expect me?”

“You’ll need an escort. I can’t send you in alone and whether or not the lieutenant is reasonable, I can’t have him in the club.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll have a vampire take you through the club. I know just the man. People will talk to you around him. You’ll find him helpful. Also, if you find yourself in need of a tracker, feel free to contact me and I’ll let you use Zack. He has an excellent nose, as his master is bound to discover tonight.”

The door to the office opened and I turned to see a small boy cautiously entering the room. He had a mop of dark hair that fell almost in his eyes. He had on sweat pants that were nearly worn through at the knees, a Spider-Man T-shirt, and sneakers that needed to be tied. He looked like he was maybe eight or nine, and there was no question who his father was.

“Lee,” Quinn said and it was obvious he had gone into father mode. “You were supposed to spend the evening with your Uncle Neil.”

The boy let the door close behind him and approached his father with big brown eyes that seemed to seriously consider the question. “He got lost, Papa.”

“Did he?” Quinn asked suspiciously. “And your brother? Did Rhys get lost as well?”

The tops of Lee’s shoes suddenly seemed very interesting to the boy. “I need to talk to Daddy.”

“Daddy is out,” Quinn said firmly. “He had a meeting to go to. You’ll have to deal with me.”

“Maybe I can wait for Daddy to get home.”

“Or we could call your mother.” That came out more as a threat than an alternative.

“I’ll tell you.” Apparently Daddy was the first choice, but Mama was the last. “You don’t have to bother Mama.”

There was a long pause. “Lee, I’m waiting.”

“We were just playing,” Lee started.

I watched as the fertility god swallowed in fear. I could have sworn the man went pale. “What were you playing, Lee?”

“Hide and seek,” the boy answered. “Me and Rhys were hiding and Uncle Neil was seeking.”

“Did Uncle Neil know he was seeking?”

The boy shrugged. “I think so. I heard him yelling a lot. He’s not real good at it.”

“And where did you decide to hide, you little hoodlum?”

“The armory,” Lee said.

Quinn’s mouth fell open and I could practically see his heart begin to pound. “How did you get into the armory? It’s locked down. You have to have a key card.”

“Well,” Lee started to explain. “Granddad told me I should practice so I stole Uncle Zack’s key and he didn’t even notice, but then I got hungry so I left it with Rhys and the door closed and I can’t get him to come out.”

Quinn was quickly on his feet. “Oh, goddess, he’ll think the C-4 is Play-doh.” He scooped up his son. “We are never telling your mother about this.”

“That’s what Daddy always says,” Lee replied.

Quinn started to carry his son to the door. “I apologize, Ms. Atwood. If you don’t mind waiting, I can send your escort up in a moment. He can show you around Ether and you can ask your questions. I’ll arrange for you to meet with the management at the vampire club tomorrow night.”

“Thank you,” I said, trying not to look too amused. I was far less intimidated by the harried father than I had been by the ruthless club owner.

“As for you,” Quinn was saying as he hurried out, “you may never be left alone with your grandfather again.” He turned to me. “If you hear a loud boom…well, it’ll be too late then. Never mind.”

The door slammed on his way out and I was surprised at how quiet the room was. Right outside the door a huge party was going on but up here it was peaceful. Too peaceful. I wondered where Gray was. Had he already stormed off? Was he home yet? Was he still cursing my name? I had been an idiot to think it could work.

A man like Grayson Sloane needed a sweet, pretty wife. He needed one of those women who would support him and help his career. I would drag him down. I would go to a social function and be a complete moron. I wouldn’t know which spoon to use or when to stop drinking. I shook my head to banish the self-pitying thoughts. It had been a pipedream, nothing more. It should teach me a lesson. I should have slept with him before he knew me well enough to dump me.

I reached over and poured myself another shot of vodka. Quinn had left it behind and he’d kind of been the one to cost me the possibilities Gray had represented, so I figured he owed me. I slammed the vodka and poured another. I sipped this one as I checked out what a fertility god viewed as a good workspace. It wasn’t what I would have guessed. There was a corner with a comfy chair and a bookshelf.

A big portrait adorned the wall opposite the desk. It was what Dev Quinn wanted to see when he glanced up from whatever he was doing. I moved to it, studying it carefully. It was a family portrait, though one unlike any I’d seen before. A bright smiling redhead sat in a field of green grass. She sat between two men, smiling at the camera. I recognized the vampire, Daniel, and the man I’d just met. They were all dressed in white, making a stunning contrast to the deep green of the grass. Each man had a boy in his lap. They were twins and I recognized Lee, though Rhys seemed to have his father’s green eyes. Lee’s eyes were unique. A small, toothless baby girl was in the woman’s arm, her baby hands outstretched toward Daniel. She had a cap of red hair and was her mother’s mini me. Happiness. It was the only word to describe that picture. I felt my eyes prick with tears at the thought that I would never have anything as good as that picture.

I turned quickly as the door opened and took a deep breath. My vampire escort was here.

Chapter Nine

“They make a beautiful family,” a soft, accented voice said from the doorway. He was backlit from the blue light coming from the club and I only saw his silhouette.

I turned quickly, hoping he wouldn’t catch me crying. “Yes, they are lovely.”

One minute he was behind me and the next, he was right in front of me, his hand cupping my jaw. His thumb gently rubbed across my cheek, sweeping away the tear caught there. I should have backed away, but I was too surprised to move. Vampires are fast.

“Did Devinshea make you cry?” the vampire asked with a melodic accent. Italian, I realized as I recognized the man from last night. “He can be rude, though not usually with a woman. Should I talk to him?”

“Marcus Vorenus.” His name came out as a breathy revelation.

In the dim light of the office, I saw a smile break over the vampire’s face. It tugged his lips up and caused his dark eyes to crinkle appealingly. It took him from a gorgeous work of art to something far more dangerous. He was simply a handsome, approachable man when he smiled.

“You’re the girl from the club.” He looked me over with appreciative eyes.

“I am. Sorry about the other night.”

He stepped back and dropped his hand, wariness taking over. “You came to look for me?”

“No.” I wished I could lie to him. “I’m a private investigator. I’m here on a murder case. Mr. Quinn kind of became my new client. He said I needed an escort, so I suppose he picked you. I wasn’t stalking you or anything. I was staking the place out and you happened to be there.”

He leaned back against the desk. “An investigator? Very interesting. You must be a good investigator since you already know my name. Why don’t you tell me yours?”

“Kelsey Atwood.” I wondered if the universe was having fun kicking the shit out of me. I’d just gotten dumped by one guy out of my league. Now I stood alone in a room with another too-beautiful-for-me man and I was determined not make an idiot of myself over this one.

“Kelsey. An interesting name for an interesting girl,” the vampire said. “It used to be a surname. Old English, I believe.”

“I have no idea,” I admitted. “My mom liked the sound of it. Are you really two thousand years old?”

I would guess he wasn’t older than thirty-five. His head moved ever so slightly, an aristocratic gesture in the negative. “Not quite. If you include the twenty-two years I walked the plane as a human, I have one thousand nine hundred and fifty-nine years.”