And now, he wasn’t just hearing lies. He’d seen the real-life version of the bloody tears that haunted his dreams, he’d discovered he could violate people with insight, and his empathy and emotions felt less stable than ever. And there was no end in sight; he couldn’t tell Grayson, and even Cora hadn’t been able to help. Had that really been only yesterday, when Reece had been at Cora’s hospital, same as Senator Hathaway?
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
The door abruptly opened with a violent swing.
“Freeze, empath.”
Reece looked up.
Agent Nolan was just feet away, gun raised and trained on Reece. His expression was furious. “Hands where I can see them,” he snapped. “That means gloves in the air.”
Reece gamely stuck his hands up. “What areyoudoing here?”
“What’s itlooklike I’m doing?” Nolan bit out, keeping his gun on Reece.
“It looks like you’re straining your blood pressure,” said Reece, keeping his hands where Nolan could easily see them. “What’s got you so worked up?”
Nolan stared at him. “Oh my God.” The gun trembled slightly. “You care more about myfeelingsthan my damn gun.”
Wow, Nolan was really mad. Reece carefully kept his hands raised. “It’s not healthy to be this stressed. Trust me, I know a lot about it. Is there something I can do to help?”
“Shut up!” Nolan kept his gun on Reece. “How the hell are we supposed to keep empaths in line if even threats of weapons don’t work?”
“I don’t know why you’re threatening me at all,” Reece said honestly.
“Because unlike everybody else on this fucking case, I don’t live in Crazy Town where I let the monsters run free.”
Reece frowned. “I’m not a monster.”
Lie.
He sucked in a breath.
That couldn’t be a lie, he’dmeantthat, hebelievedthat—
“Except we both know you are.” Nolan moved closer, gun steady. “I figured out what kind of monster killed Senator Hathaway. The last one we’d ever suspect.”
Reece flinched.
“Oh, don’t worry about empaths’ powers, everyone, because they could never hurt anyone,” Nolan singsonged, bitterly mocking. “They always wear their gloves so everyone’s safe. They’re pacifists; biologically incapable of causing pain; all flight, no fight.”
His expression turned flinty and cold.
“You’re liars. All of you. You’re killers.”
Reece gritted his teeth. “I didn’t kill Senator Hathaway.”
“Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t,” Nolan said. “But there are only two empaths in Seattle, so I bring you in, I’ve got a fifty-fifty chance of having nabbed the killer.”
Reece scoffed. “Cora didn’t kill Hathaway either.”
Lie.
His knees buckled. Reece grabbed for the sink counter before he could fall.
No. No, that was impossible—what part of him could possibly believe Cora had done it?
“I said don’t move!”
