Page 37 of Playing with Fire

“There’s nothing fun about being scolded by a police chief at eight in the morning, you know!” I called after him.

The bastard didn’t even slow. Sighing, I prepared for the worst and marched to the front door, knocking before I lost my nerve.

A yawning Quinn opened the door, shirtless and in nothing more than a pair of boxers. “Come on in. Sorry I didn’t pick you up from the hospital—Yale threatened dismemberment if I got underfoot.”

Since when did Quinn, half-naked or otherwise, act so nice? I could do nice, too. I could also talk to the man without slobbering all over him. “I’m so sorry for the trouble.”

“Get in the house already, Gardener.”

Right. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. “I have a hangover, so if I say anything stupid, that’s why. I’m really sorry.” At least I could try to prevent issues before they happened for a change.

“Yale already warned me you were paying for getting drunk on napalm. Who knew it’d be like alcohol for a unicorn? Conveniently, I have hangover meds on hand.”

“There’s medication for hangovers?” Where had those been all my life?

He laughed. “Sure is. It even works, too. Drink a couple glasses of water, take two of those tablets, and you’ll be feeling better in no time. Kitchen’s this way.”

Quinn led me through his home. He had moved his furniture, giving his home a calm, welcoming atmosphere. “You really do have a nice house.”

“Consider it yours for however long you need.”

Forever would be a good start, but I didn’t have the courage to tell him that. No one had ever invited me to make myself at home for any length of time, not in my adult life at least, not even my parents—especially not my parents. I swallowed so I wouldn’t cry in front of Quinn.

He wouldn’t understand.

“I really appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome.” Quinn filled a glass with water, dropped two orange tablets into it, stirring with a spoon until both tablets dissolved. “Drink this. It’ll help.”

I set my check on the counter and took the glass. The medicine tasted like oranges, and I guzzled it down before my stomach could rebel. “Did everything work out with the situation yesterday?”

I still had no idea what had happened. While I didn’t expect Quinn to tell me, I could fake being a good person with a little effort. People liked when others took an interest in their work—at least, I thought they did.

“I’m of the opinion it was a distraction to keep resources away from the 120 Wall Street incident. Fortunately, we had you on our side, else it would have gotten bad fast.”

I almost dropped the glass but set it down before I broke it. “What?”

Quinn pointed at the folded piece of paper. “That’s your check?”

“Yeah.”

“Haven’t looked at it yet, have you?”

Shaking my head, I regarded the payment for a long moment before flicking it with a finger and sending it fluttering across Quinn’s counter. “I assumed it was the standard fee for two incidents.” I’d be grateful for the extra two thousand dollars when I hunted for an apartment.

“Not quite. Go ahead and take a look. I can’t wait to see your face.”

I frowned, snatched up the paper, and unfolded the check. After the fifth zero, I forgot how numbers worked. My legs trembled, and I leaned on the counter so I wouldn’t melt into a puddle and ruin his nice clean tiles. “What the hell?”

“Yale thought you wouldn’t remember the provision in your contract with the CDC allowing the local and federal governments to augment the payment of any certified contractor. The mayor decided to ask the CDC how many lives were likely saved by your actions.”

I gasped and dropped my check. “Pen! Pen, pen, pen.” Snapping my fingers together, I dredged through my hazy memory for the names of the people I had condemned to death.

Quinn stared at me for a long moment before fetching a pad of paper and a pen from a nearby drawer. Snatching them out of his hand, I scribbled down their names. How could I have forgotten them? Tears stung my eyes over how many had died.

I had helped kill them, and I had forgotten all about them.

Leaning across the counter, Quinn peered at my work. “Ah. It’s all right, Bailey. We got the stills of their cards from the footage you recorded. Their families have already been notified. They were celebrated as heroes on the morning news today.”