Fuck.
Fuck, fuck,fuck.
I’d missed it. I’d missedevery sign.
My head was still spinningas the elevator doors closed behind me, and it took every ounce of willpower I hadnot to slam my fist into the wall. The last thing I needed was to jam the carin the shaft.
I’d been set up. Hadn’t I?
Why else leak a song that,at the moment, wasn’t going tobeon the album?
Vincent hadn’t liked me fromthe moment we’d set eyes on each other and I’d done nothing to improve hisopinion. He was a bully and, as it turned out, happy to sacrifice Quinn’scareer for…
Christ,why?
I was circling right backaround to the same problem I’d started with. I couldn’t figure outwhyanyone would dothis, and I knew Vincent wasn’t the best manager who’d ever held the title, butwhat he’d been doing seemed outright destructive.
I couldn’t have known.
Could I?
I slipped out of theelevator the moment the doors opened, heading for the relatively fresh airoutside as fast as I could without breaking into a sprint. The air in here wastoo close, my lungs wouldn’t fill. I was suffocating.
The first warm burst of sunshineon my face was such a relief that I might’ve dropped to my knees ifthere hadn’t been a dozen people watching.
As soon as I saw the bikewith Quinn’shelmet hanging on the back, my stomach lurched.
I’d been so busy being angryat John and Uncle Vincent that I’d almost forgotten that Quinn had just thrownme to the wolves so he could get a head start.
No, that wasn’t a fair thingto think about him. What choice had he had?
Me or his career. Hiscareer, which he’d been fighting hard to save. Even if it made him miserable.
Or me. Stupid, lonely Foxwho just wanted someone to cuddle with. I was no use to him. Knowing me wouldn’t further hiscareer—it’d hinder it. He’d already told me he couldn’t afford to be gay.
But I’d just… I’dthought…
I’d been about to tell him Iwas in love with him before that office door had opened. I wanted to say it outloud in case his lifewasabout to fall apart, so that he’d know he hadsomeone.
In my head, I was alreadyunpacking his things in my apartment and promising to help get him back on hisfeet. Miles would’ve loved to meet him, and Gray and Logan would have been sokind and warm.
He could have had a wholesupport network. I’d been imagining it because Iwantedthat, I wantedto be the knight in shining armor he’d called me, riding in to save the day.
That wasn’t going tohappen now, was it? Quinn had saved his own day.
Losing this job didn’t matter allthat much to me. I’d find another. Once I’d told my side of the story, Graywould be just as angry on my behalf as I was. Logan, too.
I hadn’t lost anythingI wanted to keep except…
Quinn.
I’d lost Quinn, and I feltlike my heart was tearing in two over it.
I sighed, looking up anddown the street at the people milling around me. Getting on with their lives.Completely ignorant that I was standing there with both halves of my broken heartin my hands, shoved deep in my pockets so no one could see.
No good crying over it. Ineeded…I needed to go home. There was nothing left for me here.
I’d failed as a detective.Clearly, this wasn’t a line of work I was cut out for.
