Screw it.
Without letting himself think on it further, he whipped his car into Grayson’s parking spot and killed the engine.
He took a breath.
This was fine. Everything was fine.
He could do this.
He sat for a long moment. Then he looked through his windshield at theReservedsign again.
No, he couldn’t.
He turned the key in the ignition, berating himself for being such a wreck, for being unable to even borrow the Dead Man’s parking spot, for—
For not letting Jamey install the new battery.
A weak clicking sound filled the car as Reece thudded his forehead against the steering wheel. “Oh comeon,” he said, trying the key again, pumping the gas. “Just get me back out to the street.”
Nothing. Nada. The engine wasn’t going to start.
Reece sat up and let the back of his head fall against the headrest, heaving a loud sigh.
Okay. Fine. His car was staying here. He was already going to have to answer to Grayson for running from Yokota’s; how much more trouble could he get in for stealing Grayson’s parking spot?
But as he went to get out of the car, Reece paused. This was a gathering of the biggest empath opponents in Seattle. And he was an empath who’d been on TV all day in the same juice-and grease-stained hoodie. Even Reece had to acknowledge he couldn’t just waltz in there and expect no one to notice.
He twisted to look at the floor behind his driver’s seat, where Grayson’s hat lay atop the navy blazer and glasses Liam had given him.
Trying not to think too much about what he was doing, he reached for the pile. He pulled off his hoodie and wiggled into the too-big blazer. With a silent promise to replace them, he popped the thick lenses out of the glasses and slid the empty frames on his face before grabbing Grayson’s stained hat.
What am I doing?he thought wildly, as he pulled the hat down over his hair. As far as disguises went, this was about as effective as Superman passing as Clark Kent.
There was, of course, one more thing he could do to hide.
He looked at his hands.
Going out in public without his gloves was illegal. He hadn’t done it since he was a child. But going into that building with his gloves on would light a match in a keg of gasoline.
He stared at his hands a moment more. Then, heart pounding, he pulled the gloves off and stuffed them into the glove box.
He finally climbed out of the car and, hat pulled to his eyebrows and bare hands where everyone could see, walked through the main doors of Stone Solutions.
Chapter Twenty
AMI likes to say that all monsters claim to be harmless and that’s how they lure you under the bed. Of course, AMI members also think monsters only exist as foils to the heroes: that they are and have always been monsters, intrinsically evil, born not made.
No one learned anything fromFrankenstein.
—A.G., untitled blog
Jamey considered her options as she sped toward HQ. Reece wasn’t answering her calls and his location tracking was still off. He’d call when he got it together. She wouldn’t let herself consider the possibility that hewouldn’tget it together.
And in the meantime, there was someone else who had answers and was going to answer to her.
She reached for the police radio. “This is Detective St. James,” she said into the scanner. “I know someone will make sure the Dead Man gets this message. He better call me. Now.”
Two minutes passed.
