“Alotmore than you.”
“Yes,fine,” said Reece. “But see? All those muscles and you barely touched me.”
“Maybe I didn’t think you were dangerous tome.”
“Yeah, okay, but you’re supposed to be this big scary empath hunter, right? Aren’t you going to ruin your reputation if you’re careful with us?”
Grayson seemed to hesitate. “My reputation’ll survive,” he said, and turned back to the car, as if that had been explanation enough.
Reece rolled his eyes. “Can I trade arrests for answers? One empath in handcuffs equals one Dead Man sharing information?”
“Sure,” said Grayson. “Here’s some: don’t ever try to use your insight on purpose.”
Reece gave him a filthy look. “You’re the boundary-stomping dick who triggered it. I don’t want to use it on accident.”
“Care Bear.” At the nickname, Reece reluctantly looked up at Grayson’s vault of a face. “Don’t ever try to use it on purpose.”
Reece rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
“And don’t wander off again.”
“Fine.”
“And don’t—”
“Will you just confirm that I’mnotunder arrest?”
Grayson shrugged. “The day is young.”
Reece threw up his hands.
As Grayson opened the passenger door, Reece snapped, “Don’t you dare get in my car without that apology.”
Grayson paused. “For manhandling you?”
“For bringing Jamey into this.”
Grayson’s shoulders relaxed, like he’d been ready to move but had settled instead. “She’s law enforcement. Be kind of an issue if she was helping her empath brother illegally hide extra powers.”
Nerves threatened to crawl up Reece’s spine again, but he ignored them. “Don’t ever bring up Jamey,” he said darkly. “I don’t care what you do or say to me, but my sister is off-limits.”
Grayson looked at him for another long minute.
Reece didn’t look away. No amount of Grayson’s unsettlingly expressionless face was going to make him back down.
But then Grayson seemed to find whatever he was looking for in Reece. “Fair enough,” he conceded. “My apologies,” he added, the very picture of perfect Southern manners.
Reece looked at him suspiciously, but as far as he could tell Grayson was being sincere. “As long as we understand each other.”
“I understand you just fine.” Grayson dropped into the passenger seat, shaking the entire car. “Reporters may be incoming. We’d best get moving.”
Reece rolled his eyes and climbed into the car. “I thought you were going to stomp all over the First Amendment and make them leave.”
“I saidmaybe incoming. You want to stick around and find out?”
“Where are we even going?”
He gestured to Reece’s hands on the steering wheel. “Ever wanted to see where they make those gloves you got at ten and two?”
