“From you.” When Reece furrowed his brow, Grayson added, “You said in the elevator that Mr. Adams had more loyalty to Mr. Stone than to Senator Hathaway. We’re trying to find her killer and Mr. Adams wasn’t talking; who else would he have been covering for?”
And despite the warmth still radiating from Grayson, a chill stole over Reece’s skin. “Is this how you’re planning to solve the case? Trigger the insight again—”
“No.” Grayson said it without hesitation. “I thought you knew you had it and were in control of it. Triggering it the second time was an accident and I’ll do my best to never do it again.”
Reece pressed his lips together. “But maybe I should—if it helps—”
“If I was willing to throw empaths on the altar, I would’ve let you read the witness at the crime scene. This is not a way you can help.”
“But why not?”
“Reasons.”
“You could share them once in a while.” Reece tightened his arms, bringing his knees closer to his chest. “That FBI agent wanted me to read that witness. If he or others knew I had this insight thing, that they could get what they wanted without worrying about the law, they might try—”
“I make sure they don’t.”
Grayson didn’t say it as a brag, just stating a fact as calmly as he stated everything else. Reece scoffed. “The empath hunter protects the empaths? Yeah, right.”
“You’re the one who keeps saying hunter. I say specialist.”
Reece rolled his eyes. He couldn’t hear Grayson’s lies, it was true, but that had to be bullshit, didn’t it? As casually as he could, he said, “Why would it be such a big deal anyway, if an empath was hiding insight or—or something?”
“You don’t need to know that either,” Grayson said. “Just know my job needs me to be absolutely sure empaths aren’t hiding any new powers from everyone else.”
“Oh.” Reece bit his lip.You’re not telling him about hearing lies, and you’re not going to feel guilty about that, he told his stupid empath conscience.Maybe he talked you down, but he’s still the Dead Man, and he didn’t hesitate to use those cuffs on you. Give him a reason and he’ll do it again.
The shakiness hadn’t fully left Reece’s limbs, but he grabbed the bookshelf and forced his legs to stand anyway, also grabbing for the first subject change that came to mind. “Did you find whatever it is Whitman is supposed to be looking for?”
Grayson picked himself up off the floor too, a much more impressive action with his height. “That’s a leap.”
“Not really,” said Reece. “Her mask cracked when you checked under the false bottoms of the desk drawers. You made her realize she should have searched the desk fully, but she’s probably been too busy moving into the new office.”
“Huh.” Grayson eyed him. “You have a lot more going on under that hood than you let on.”
Reece’s stomach tightened. Yeah, he definitely wasn’t coming clean. “You went straight for the desk drawers too. So what are you both looking for?”
“Nothing I’m gonna tell you about.”
“But—”
“You can’t keep your mouth shut for five entire minutes. You think I want you running around with both an endless supply of sarcasm and government secrets?”
“If the government secrets are about empaths, I deserve the truth.”
“Sometimes you don’t want the truth.”
“More riddles.” Reece sighed and leaned his head back against the bookshelf. “Can we go yet?”
He expected Grayson to tell him to suck it up, but instead heard, “Yes.”
Reece blinked. “Really?”
“That was an awful big deduction about Whitman just now and your blood pressure is one more shock away from dangerous. I’d prefer your insight never kicks on again, but if it does while you’re inside this building, I’ll have to stop Dr. Whitman from squashing you between two sheets of glass and sticking you under a microscope herself.”
There was a cheerful thought. “I thought you said insight was common.”
“I said there was precedent.” Grayson opened the office door and held it. “I never said common.”
