“Were you planning to hurt him?”
There was no emotion in his voice and somehow that was more terrifying than if Grayson had screamed at him. “No,” Nolan said hoarsely. “I might have used force if I’d caught him, for resisting arrest, but I didn’t go in there planning to hurt him.”
“And why do you smell like vomit?”
“Davies was telling me he and the other empath were innocent, getting upset, and then he suddenly fell and threw up all over me.”
If that made sense to Grayson, it didn’t show on that expressionless face. “You’re twice his size and speed. How’d Mr. Davies get away?”
Nolan winced. “He bolted while I was still reeling from the puke. I chased him, but some waiter in the kitchen got in my way, and by the time I got past, Davies had made it to his car.”
Nolan held his breath as Grayson seemed to consider everything he’d said.
Then Grayson tucked the gun away.
The air left Nolan’s lungs in a rush. He slumped against the road—then realized it was vibrating under the deep rumbling of an approaching powerful engine.
Nolan followed Grayson’s gaze down the street to see a black truck turn the corner. It stopped in the middle of the street, still idling. A woman jumped down from the driver’s seat, dark brown hair in a ponytail and a pair of thick glasses on her nose.
“Dr. Easterby.” Grayson held out Nolan’s keys. “I’m afraid I’m going to ask to impose on you to make another delivery.”
Easterby took the keys, glancing down at Nolan. The glint of streetlight caught her throat, illuminating a line of scarring. “What did he do?”
“Forgot the rules about empaths.” Grayson knelt again, this time yanking Nolan’s own handcuffs off his belt. “It seems several folks in this town forgot. I ought to make an example of someone.”
Far from horrified or squeamish, Easterby’s pretty face was hard as she stared at Nolan, and with dread, he got the sense she approved.
But then Grayson straightened up. “We can’t let him go. He’ll run straight to his FBI cronies and talk. But we can’t take him to Stone Solutions either.”
“Detective St. James is heading to police HQ right now,” said Easterby. “I could take him there.”
Grayson shook his head. “They’ll ask too many questions. Agent Nolan here will be quick to spill what he knows about empaths and the heat’s already too high. We can’t let the truth get out. But there’s one other place.” He held up the handcuffs he’d swiped from Nolan. “There’s a bouncer at McFeely’s who’s smart and tough enough to trust. We can hold Agent Nolan there until I’ve got a better option.”
STONE SOLUTIONS
Defending American Minds.
Reece cursed under his breath as he looked past the sign toward Stone Solutions’ building and grounds. This time of night, he had expected the campus to be dark.
He certainly hadn’t expected a full parking lot and the building to be lit like Christmas.
He drove in anyway, heading straight for the front of the building. He stopped for a moment, idling his car. There was an A-frame marquee displayed before the front doors.
Welcome, American Minds Intact Members!
A piece of paper had been taped to the marquee:AMI Emergency Strategy Meeting: 6pm–11pm, Conference Room A.
Well, this made his plans more complicated. An empath couldn’t exactly go sprinting up to R&D in the middle of an AMI meeting without causing a riot.
But there was a reason for what Cora had done, and Vanessa Whitman knew what it was. And Reece’s bet was that there was a decent chance someone whohad to work for a livingwas still at work—or at least, putting the finishingtouch on her new office.
He scanned the parking lot again with more frustration. There were no spaces left—except the single free spot right by the front door, with itsReservedsign.
Grayson’s spot.
No. He couldn’t park in someone else’s reserved spot, not even Grayson’s. Reece would have to go back out of the campus and look for something on the street.
He idled for a moment longer.
