“Observe,” Nichols said, turning his head to talk over his shoulder at the lab coat–clad figure behind the desk. “Merely the implication of empaths in danger triggers a protective reaction. This is exactly the flaw we cannot tolerate in our new subjects. Make a note of this moment.”
Grayson flexed again, even though it was pointless. “Who’re your new Dead Men going to be? You gonna have more soldiers kidnapped, like the ones you took to Polaris?”
“No need this time,” Nichols said distractedly. “This lab has been staffed with a larger-than-average security force of trained military personnel. I’m authorized to make any of them my test subjects at will.”
“Do they know that?” Grayson said. “For that matter, does Stone Solutions know you’ve got me here and what you’re planning?”
“You mean Vivian?” Nichols scoffed. “As if she’d ever have the stomach for it. But rest assured, I am backed by those with therealpower.” He moved the tray closer, the wheels squeaking along the floor. “I’d hardly expect you to grasp the importance of my work, but we do not require your approval, and your cooperation can be forced. I have my soldiers and I will have my empaths, and I cannot wait to see all we can accomplish now that we no longer have to kowtow to your infantile demands about their treatment.”
Nichols leaned over Grayson again, his pale eyes very large behind the glasses. “You know, I had actually thought it was safest to dispose of you completely. I even had Holt on my side,” he said. “But I can admit that this is better: Now I can harvest everything of use from you until we can recreate the experiment. Andthenyou can die.”
Grayson could just barely see the edge of the tray at the bedside: a selection of syringes and surgical instruments, their shapes fogged along the edges, just like the room’s people.
Nichols was now giving his bare arms and chest a cursory glance. “I can see the evidence of your empathy-induced enhancements, particularly the accelerated healing. You have very few scars, especially given your history.” He leaned closer. “Though there is this one here. I assume this is from the incident in November?”
He was pointing to Grayson’s shoulder, to the round bullet scar.
You got this scar protecting me from corruption, Reece had whispered the night in the truck in Vancouver. You took a bullet for me.
You believed saving my life was worth more than your freedom, Grayson had answered.A bullet was more than worth a chance to save your heart.
Grayson hadn’t saved Reece from corruption after all.
But that bullet had still been worth it, and he should’ve told Reece that when he’d had the chance.
Nichols seemed to realize Grayson wasn’t going to answer. He huffed. “Silence is pointless. I have your medical records.” He reached for the tray again, and as he straightened, he was holding a syringe and a small vial. “We’re going to start with some chemical testing. I have theories, of course, but I need to confirm—”
The door at Grayson’s feet opened. Nichols turned sharply toward the sound, his eyes widening with shock for a split-second before they immediately narrowed. Grayson craned his neck as much as he could to see.
Standing in the doorway was Reece.
He was completely alone, in the same hoodie and jeans from the EI facility, looking particularly short and slight in the frame of the door.
“Reece.” Grayson’s voice was hoarser than he’d expected, not much more than a quiet croak. “Get out of here.”
Behind Grayson and around the room, scientists were springing into action. Grayson could hear them on the phone, the wordssecurityandget to the main lab immediately. Could hear an insistent alarm start up on the floor above.
“Mr. Davies,” Nichols said, his lip curling. “How are you here?”
Reece still stood motionless in the doorway. His eyes wereon Grayson, flicking from the IV to his bare chest to his cuffed wrists. “Front door was open.”
Reece’s sarcasm was gonna get him killed. “Reece,” Grayson said again, more insistent and even more hoarse. “This is Victor Nichols. You have to run—”
“Mr. Davies,” Nichols said again, talking over Grayson. “Your attitude has no place here, and you are about to regret breaking into my facility.”
Reece finally raised his gaze from Grayson to Nichols. “That’s not a lie,” he said, with the calm of a first distant roll of thunder. “So I guess you actually believe that.”
“I assure you,” Nichols started, “our security is uniquely ready to handle—”
“What were you going to do to Evan, Dr. Nichols?”
Reece’s question hadn’t been loud, but there was an edge of ice to it that somehow dropped the temperature in the room even lower. The alarm on the floor above was suddenly louder in the moment of silence that followed.
“Why isn’t security here?” one of the scientists whispered.
Grayson pulled against his restraints.“Reece—”
“Shh,” Reece said, putting a finger to his lips, his gaze still fixed on Nichols. “Not now, baby. It’s my turn to handle things.”
