“Why would there be?”
“Don’t dodge the question,” Reece said. “I don’t care if you’re the Dead Man—that won’t work on an empath. What’s missing from my file?”
Grayson didn’t answer for a moment, like he was choosing his words, because it didn’t seem to matter that Reece couldn’t hear the difference; Grayson tended to evade or misdirect instead of outright lie. An echo of who he’d been, perhaps? Maybe he’d been an honest person before he’d become the government’s tool?
“You already know I’ve never met another empath like you,” Grayson finally said. “One who’s got some of the enhanced abilities but kept the pacifism. It wasn’t supposed to be possible.”
“Okay,” Reece said slowly. “So what are you saying? You haven’t told EI yet that I accidentally projected emotions last night? Or you haven’t addedanyof my new weirdness to my EI file?”
Grayson cleared his throat. “That would be the second one.”
Reece stared at him. “EI doesn’t know any of it? You’re keeping government secrets from me—and secrets about me from the government?”
Grayson shrugged, like that wasn’t a huge fucking deal that probably broke who knew how many laws and put Grayson squarely against EI. “You’re not supposed to be possible, and a lot of people would treat you like a science experiment if they knew. But you’re not anyone’s lab rat. Look, I’m gonna slow down on this bridge, just for you,” he added, like he hadn’t left Reece reeling.
They left I-5 a bit before Tacoma and drove through neighborhoods and retail strips until the city thinned out. Grayson finally turned into a gravel parking lot full of Jeeps and more pickup trucks and pulled his own truck into an empty patch of wet grass.
“No Challenger,” Reece observed.
“Can’t imagine he’d drive a Hellcat into this mud.” Grayson put the truck in Park. “If you’re coming in with me, I’m gonna need a favor.”
“Sure,” Reece said easily.
Grayson cut the engine and turned to face him. “Look me in the eyes and say,Evan, I’m not gonna wander off.”
Reece opened his mouth, then closed it.
“You want me to phrase it another way?” Grayson said. “How aboutI could be in danger, Agent Grayson, so I promise I’ll stay with you. I’d even takeI know you’re trying to keep me safe, Mr. Dead Man, so today I’m gonna make good decisions for a change.”
Reece folded his arms. “Why do you want me to say those things?”
“You know why.”
“Because you think they’re going to belies?”
“Are they?”
“No.”Lie.Reece winced.
“That’s what I thought.” Grayson leaned toward him. “You gonna make me remind you that you gotstalkedandchasedlast night by someone who might be somewhere around here? That you need to let me deal with him?”
“What do you mean,deal with him?”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Grayson said. “Reece, I gotta do my job. I’m trying to make sure you stay an angel, but I don’t know what that man wanted with you and you know I can’t let Seattle end up with another serial killer. You would have let your kidnapper right into your home, so tell me something that’s gonna convince me I don’t need to literally handcuff you to me today.”
“I told you already, Iwantto be with you,” Reece said heatedly. “I don’t trust anyone but you right now. Do you need to hear that this means I don’t want towander offanywhere you’re not? That I plan to glue myself to your side? That if touching was an option I’d happily get so close I’d be inside you—” He stuttered, his face going red. “Um. I mean. Metaphorically only, obviously.”
Lie.
Oh, comeon.
There was a moment of silence, then Grayson cleared his throat. “Well, I’m convinced,” he said, a little more gruffly than normal, as he opened his door.
There was a small building at the end of the parking lot that looked to be both the airsoft course check-in and a store that sold gear. Past the building, the course itself was fenced off with chain-link, with shipping crates and hollowed outbuildings disappearing off into the tall trees. Beyond the fence came a chorus of excited shouts and the sound of air guns popping, over and over again, meant to sound like real gunfire. Getting closer. Getting louder.
Reece’s feet didn’t seem to want to move.Not real, he frantically told his blood pressure, which was rising so fast he could feel it.Air guns. Not real guns. Not real, not real—
A hand suddenly grabbed his, fingers intertwining with Reece’s gloved ones.
