by Trisha Wolfe
He makes his call, getting updates from a tech on a recent search, and I can’t help but eavesdrop. This concerns me, too, and no matter how badly Quinn might want to shelter me, I have more knowledge than he can imagine.
That thought dampens the moment, knowing he’s completely unaware of my true abductor’s identity, and has no idea that I’m connected to Wells’ death, or how the men who took me yesterday somehow know how deeply my level of involvement goes.
I haven’t even had time to process the reality of it all. Or what the hell it could all mean. But I do know that whatever is happening between me and Quinn changes things. The slight guilt I felt before in keeping Quinn in the dark has just multiplied by infinity.
Before yesterday, it was a necessity for Sadie and I to keep Quinn out of the know. I agree with her, that Quinn isn’t built for secrets. That he wouldn’t be able to shoulder our—my—guilt, trying to exist in a realm somewhere between his black and white belief system.
It would break him.
This much I do comprehend, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he’s possibly the only one besides Sadie who can connect all the puzzle pieces. There’s only one choice to make, really. As I’m even thinking this, watching Quinn pace the living room, I’ve already made it.
It’s what grownups do. It’s what responsible medical examiners do. We face our consequences, even when those consequences suddenly take on new meaning we never fathomed. How could I have known I’d find this…whatever the hell it is…with Quinn? And now, the chance of losing his respect and this connection to him is more terrifying than facing a prison sentence.
Oh, there’s definitely that, too…but just how much punishment would he feel I deserve? How much do I feel is enough? Retroactively speaking, what I suffered at the hands of Wells should count toward that sentence. I believe I bore more than any future punishment could hold for me—but the law doesn’t work like that.
Quinn doesn’t work like that.
Timing is everything, however. And there’s a selfish part of me that wants to hold on to this moment just a while longer—just to feel what it’s like to be with Quinn, no blurred lines between us.
Too bad we didn’t figure this out before my abduction. Before I was so irrevocably changed. At one time, I think I was the perfect girl for Quinn. Maybe that’s still what he sees in me… But he won’t see that anymore once the truth comes out.
Just how selfish am I? Right now, selfish enough to grab ahold of Quinn the second he ends the call. Push him against the wall and kiss him, tasting myself still lingering on his lips.
“My turn,” I whisper against his mouth.
His strong hands capture my shoulders, holding me too far away. “Avery, you don’t have to—”
“I know,” I say, raising an eyebrow. “This is absolute want.”
He sighs, but I can see and feel his resolve weakening. “That sketch you sent? The one of the partial brand on the first vic? There’s been a hit. About fifty miles from here, a prostitute was found dead, abandoned in a Dumpster. Sound familiar?”
“Quinn—”
“Because of her profession, there was no autopsy. A large amount of opioids were found in her system, so the coroner recorded COD as a drug overdose.”
I clasp his hands, moving them down my body to rest at the small of my back, as I push up against him. Tenderly, I press a kiss to his neck, inhaling the scent of his woodsy cologne, and revel in the feel of him pulling me closer.
“I promise,” I say. “I’ll be right there with you. We’ll figure it out. We’ll stop the bad guys, and we’ll save lives. I just don’t want this moment to end so soon—I just want us to stay here for a little bit longer.” I bite his ear, loving the way he grabs my ass, grinding his cock against my belly. “Because when we leave through that door, we might not get it back for a while.” Or ever…
That thought pangs my chest and I squeeze my eyes closed, savoring Quinn’s strong hands holding me.
I ease my palms along his chest, sinking my hands beneath the leather harness and sliding it off his shoulders. As I push the leather straps down his arms, the feel of his muscles cording tight beneath my touch elicits a thrill inside me.
He catches the strap before the harness hits the floor and dutifully sets it on the shelf. “What are you doing to me?”
“This,” I whisper, gently tugging his black tie from his neck. I wrap it around my hand as it comes free of his collar. “Put your hands behind your back, detective.”
A cautious expression crosses his face before he follows through. “Cop clichés?”
I nod. “And a little incentive to help you relinquish your control.” Keeping his tie in hand, I back up enough to pull my T-shirt over my head. The way his shameless gaze takes me in bolsters my next move.
I press up against his chest, my nipples pebbling at the friction, as I maneuver the tie behind his back and link his wrists together. “Now I know you can get free, but if you want me to keep going, then you have to be good and stay in your cuffs.”
I pop onto my toes and taste his lips, sneaking in a little bite as I undo his belt.
I wrap my fingers around him, and he releases a sharp hiss. “Jesus…I’m not going to make it.”
Against my better judgment, I let a laugh slip. His severe frown cuts through me. “Quinn, like you keep saying to me, just relax.” Then I give him a wink before I drop to my knees, pulling his pants and boxers down with me.
The fact that I’m staring at Quinn’s cock should feel surreal. And it does, but at the same time, I can’t deny that I’ve never been this thrilled before. Rumors circulate around the precinct, and I’ve heard things. Like how Quinn lost his marriage. How he hasn’t dated since. And I’ve also sensed his attraction to Sadie.
So the thought of wiping his mind of every other woman and bringing him to his knees with my touch more than arouses me, and I’m taking him into my mouth with that very mission in mind.
He’s rock hard as I wrap my hand around him, his veins swollen, his shaft hot and thick. A salty taste of pre-cum hits my tongue, and I swirl it around the soft tip. He rocks his hips into me, and I let him fuck my mouth, taking him in deep.
“Christ, Avery…”
Hearing my name groaned out in Quinn’s husky way has me wet and aching. I use a hand to brace his backside, sucking him in deeper, suddenly unable to get enough.
The tense muscles in his ass, the way he pulls against the restraint of the necktie…has me seeking his face. My gaze travels up to capture his stare. My breathing intensifies as I watch his expression shift from yearning to ravenous. The hard gleam in his eyes conveys just how badly he wants this—wants me.
It’s more than empowering; it’s liberating.
I don’t feel vile or dirty. I don’t try to disappear into some sheltered space of my mind, waiting for the moment when I feel normal again. That realization beckons me on, giving Quinn every last bit of me, taking him with me past the point of ecstasy.
And soon he’s there, the rumble of his growl-like groan thrumming through me as he thrusts his cock toward the back of my throat. He releases into my mouth, and I don’t pull away. I clasp his balls and bear the gagging reflex as he comes.
His hand goes to my hair. His fingers grip a handful, and as he pulses against my tongue, I moan, letting the vibration of my voice take him over the edge.
He reaches down and hauls me to my feet, his mouth finding mine before any words are exchanged between us. With a blistering kiss that scorches my lips, Quinn grasps my face, holding me to him, his hard length still throbbing against my stomach.
“God, your mouth… I fucking want you so bad,” he says, his gruff voice a satisfying friction against my skin. His eyes flit over my face, tracing my features as if he’s trying to put together a clue. “How—?”
“Don’t detective this to death,” I say, stopping him before we both spiral down a wormhole of guilt. I don’t want to go there…not yet. “Let’s just…shower
? Which is more than you should get for breaking out of your tie.” I wink at him.
His lips twist into a smile, but the blaring ring of his phone steals it away.
He releases me, and I cross my arms over my chest, the chilly air now noticeable without his comforting body heat. I then scoop my shirt off the floor, realizing that a shower isn’t happening as I listen to Quinn’s angry barks into the phone.
Reality had to come crashing back at some point. And when he hangs up, his arms flexing with the tight grip he has on the phone, that reality is frighteningly real.
“Get dressed, and grab some extra clothes and things,” he says, not facing me.
“Why? What’s going on?”
Quinn yanks his shirt together and starts buttoning it, then turns around, his face devoid of any of the passion we just shared. “There’s been an upset at the precinct. I can’t leave you here. You’re going with me. We’ll figure out a security measure—”
“I’m not—”
“You are,” he cuts me off. “You’re in danger, Avery. For now, the only thing I can do to make sure you’re safe is keep you close.”
As he looks me over, his shoulders deflate. He moves before me and wraps his strong arms around my waist. Resting his lips against my forehead, he says, “I’m not good at this. But I am good at my job, Aves. Let me protect you.”
I nod against him. “I know. Okay.” Which means that our little bubble has popped.
“Give me time…and once we catch whoever is responsible for hurting you—”
“Quinn,” I say, putting my hand against his chest and inching away. “It’s fine. Let’s go get the bad guys.”
14
Deliver Us
Quinn
Finding the leak in the department should’ve been my top priority after closing out the last case. Although the bastard went silent after having nothing more than misdemeanors and traffic tickets to hand to the press, still, with the turmoil the serial killer case caused, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.
The bullpen echoes with an annoying, scratchy feedback, the many flatscreens all tuned to the same news channel blaring a reporter’s voice. Desks are abandoned, phones ring nonstop, and as Avery and I round the corner we come to a quick stop. A large group has congregated around one of the wall-mounted TVs.
“Come on,” I say, taking Avery’s hand. I lead her away from the crowd, circling back around toward my office.
I need her here to ensure her safety, but by the way her face just paled with panic, she’s not ready to handle a flood of questions or give a statement. Besides, other than making sure she’s protected, that’s why she’s with me—Avery’s not giving her statement to anyone else so it can be leaked to the damn media.
Closing the door behind us, I flip the blinds down. Then turning toward my desk, I balk at seeing Sadie seated in my chair. “What are you doing here?”
I don’t mean it to come out as asinine as it does, but as she’s used to my bullshit, she just smirks. “You told me to catch up, remember? And I was getting further on your research until this happened.” She turns the laptop screen toward us. “This is the second broadcast. Wexler is fuming.” She glances between Avery and me. “And he’s really pissed that Avery wasn’t brought in right away.”
I’m sure that’s an understatement. The captain will have my badge before the end of the day. I dented up my car pretty good and ordered Sadie to shoot at a van in open traffic. And after everything that happened this morning…I won’t even argue.
“But I was able to calm him down,” she continues. “I told him that Avery needed to recover. He doesn’t like it, but he’s more focused on the recovery of other possible abductees.” A faint smile breaks across her strained features. “I think I saved your badge. For now.”
“Thanks,” I say, knowing I owe Sadie more than that.
She shrugs. “What are partners for?”
My mind flashes back to the hospital the night of Avery’s rescue, when I told Sadie something similar. “Were you able to get anything out of the perps?”
She shakes her head. “They’re in holding. Can’t touch them until after the bond hearing.”
Fuck. “I’m sick of this red tape shit. And now any investigation into Maddox is going to be impeded.”
“Not to mention how bad it will look going after a lawyer running for the DA’s office,” she says. “Wexler’s going to order us to lay low until we find evidence on him that’s not circumstantial. We don’t have anything, Quinn.”
“Hell,” I scoff. “Even if he’s not our guy, he’s involved in this shit storm somehow.”
As Sadie stands to embrace Avery, I give them privacy to talk amongst themselves and locate a statement report. Then, clearing my throat, I hand the paperwork to Sadie. “Do you think you can help walk her through it?”
She nods assuredly. “Of course.”
As Avery and Sadie go over the events of yesterday, working out Avery’s statement and hopefully finding some leads to open an investigation into Maddox, I hit a key on the laptop to play back the news report. Taking a seat at my desk, I turn up the volume.
“The cryptic instructions soliciting the abduction of one of Arlington’s lead pathologists went viral after it was leaked over the Internet this morning,” the woman news anchor says. “Authorities have issued no statement, however, on the condition of Medical Examiner Avery Johnson, although our inside sources confirm she’s alive and recovering.”
“Inside sources,” I mock.
This snags Sadie’s attention and she looks at me. “Only someone in this department could’ve known, Quinn.”
I hate that she’s right.
“The leaked missive held detailed information on Johnson’s whereabouts. Though dictated in a form of code, specialists have been able to decipher the signature”—the screen transitions to show the missive in question—“which has been identified as an emblematic signature for an underground crime ring known as the Alpha-Omega network.”
“Shit.” My adrenaline spikes as I recognize the design at the bottom of the letter. The same design branded on our vics. Jesus, these press assholes better not get ahold of our lead. If the media gets wind of other women captives, it will turn this investigation into a circus.
The anchor’s face reappears on the screen. “Two suspects have been arrested and are being detained for further questioning in connection to Johnson’s abduction. This was not the first time Johnson was targeted amid an ongoing criminal investigation, however.” As the news anchor recounts Avery’s captivity, I lower the volume, hoping to spare Avery the heartless recap of her own painful memories regurgitated over the Internet.
“The recent attack on Johnson follows closely behind two deaths which are currently under investigation,” she continues, and both women move closer to the desk. “Could the deaths of Marcy Beloff and Lauren Carter, who were presumed dead due to suspicious circumstances, be tied to the Alpha-Omega network? And are the two suspects in question responsible for trying to silence the medical examiner who may have that answer? No further information has been—”
I kill the feed, my temper rising. Closing my eyes, I massage the sudden pain throbbing at my temples. “How the fuck does the media have an ID on the second vic before we do?”
“That signature,” Avery says, her soft voice a soothing balm to my blistering thoughts. “It’s almost identical to the brand on the vics. Quinn, in the lab yesterday, the men who took me forced me to change the COD reports on the victims to accidents. I was given the second vic’s name to record. I’m not sure how it was leaked…but is this really connected to some crime organization? That just seems so…”
“Convoluted,” Sadie supplies.
My irritation flares before I can rein it in. “Why didn’t you mention the COD reports before?”
Avery’s gaze narrows on me. “A lot has happened in the past twenty-four hours,” she snaps, but I can hear the hurt behind her anger.
“I’m sorry. It slipped my mind until now. I’ll add it to my statement, of course.”
I’m an asshole. I was busy getting my rocks off…and now I’m victim blaming? Fuck. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.” I hold her gaze, trying to convey that I regret nothing that happened between us.
Sadie scans both our faces in turn, her eyebrow craned in question, but she sidelines her interrogation for now. I know it’s coming later, though. Damn profilers.
Avery waves off my apology. “I know. It’s fine. I’m high-strung, too.” She exhales heavily and pushes her hands into her hair. “But now that I’m back, I need to get to my lab and straighten out those reports before the press tries to link me to some half-hatched conspiracy.”
I pin her with a heated glare. “No. The lab’s off-limits.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she matches my stare. “No offense, Quinn, but technically, you’re not my boss.”
I hear a muffled snort and glance at the source. Sadie covers a hand over her mouth, refocuses her attention on the statement.
A knock sounds at the door, saving me before I blurt something else asinine. Carson peeks his head inside.
Fucking hell. “Does no one have a job to do around here?”
“Sorry,” Carson says. I wave him in, impatient. “But last time, I kind of got my ass chewed for this. Wanted to make sure you heard it straight from the source.” He acknowledges Avery with a nod her way. “Welcome back.”
“Thanks,” she says. “I’m kind of tired of leaving.”
Gritting my teeth, I bury my irritation with the intimate way in which he’s staring at Avery. “Christ. What now, Carson?” I say, pulling his focus to me.
“Right.” He sets his laptop on my desk right beside mine and taps the keyboard. The same news anchor comes alive on the screen. “Just watch,” he says.
“Sources now tell us that the two victims have been positively tied to the Alpha-Omega crime ring. Both the deceased bore the branded emblem of what we now know is the Alpha’s signature on their person.” A close-up of the letter highlighting the design appears in the upper right corner of the screen.