They stumbled another few steps and then—
“Get down!” Jamey slammed into Reece, sending him stumbling behind a planter.
He gasped as he saw the bullet hole just feet from where he’d been.
“Cover your eyes.” And she was gone.
Reece drew his knees to his chest and buried his face between them. This time he wouldn’t look. This time he would stay put and let Grayson and Jamey handle it, let them turn Stone and the evidence on Owens’ phone over to the police.
Except Grayson had—
No.
Reece scrambled up to his feet. “Evan!”
He sprinted forward, trying not to look at the unmoving bodies that littered the rooftop, focusing on Grayson’s tall figure across the roof.
Grayson was standing over Stone, who had a gun raised in one shaking hand. With unnerving calm, Grayson planted his foot down on that arm, and Stone screamed.
Reece pushed himself faster. “Evan—”
“Reece.” Grayson was holding Stone’s gun hand down under his foot. “You’ve got to learn to run away.”
“Please don’t kill him,” Reece begged.
“What makes you think—”
“You destroyed Owens’ phone. You only would have done that if you didn’t plan to need the evidence against Stone.”
“You really think you got me figured out,” Grayson said. “What you got is sixty seconds to get yourself in the elevator and out of here.”
“Don’t.” Reece bit his fist. “Please.”
“You hear that?” Grayson said to Stone. “You were gonna make him a monster, and now he’s begging me to show you mercy.”
Stone spit blood. “We all know you’re the biggest monster here.”
“You’re the monster,” Reece said angrily. “Not Evan.”
Stone laughed hysterically. “Oh, naive little empath. I’ve got nothing on Evan Grayson.” Stone spit again, and Reece realized in horror that he’d lost some of his teeth. “Has Evan told you his secret? Why he can stomach any act of violence without a flinch? Why his voice makes you vomit, why his touch knocks you out? Why theyreallycall him the Dead Man?”
Stone looked up at Grayson, no mask now, just bitter hate. “Because he’s as dead inside as a corpse. His feelings aren’t hidden from you. He doesn’t have feelings at all.”
Stone wasn’t lying.
“But that’s impossible,” said Reece. “No one would be born—”
“Oh, he wasn’t born that way,” Stone said hatefully. “An empath changed him.”
Reece drew back. He looked up at Grayson, but the man’s face was as unreadable—as dead—as ever.
“Was it really necessary to make him hear that?” Grayson said, as calmly as if he were remarking on the weather.
“He thinks you’re his knight in shining armor,” said Stone. “He’s already forgotten you turn on your allies faster than the wind can change.”
“You’re not an ally.” Grayson stepped closer to Stone. “You think you’re gonna corrupt empaths on purpose? Twist them into killers for your scientists to study, so you keep swimming in profit? I don’t need feelings to have an opinion on that.”
“I bet you don’t,” Stone said viciously, like his words had a deeper meaning Reece didn’t understand.
