Page 138 of Seeing Grayscale

“Someone better be dead,” Alex grumbles by way of answering.

I’m back in the house, smoking a cigarette on the couch, staring at the sketchbook on the bay window seat. “I need you to do something for me.”

Coward. Coward. Coward.

He yawns dramatically before smacking his lips. “I’m off the clock, sir. Or is this youfinallyreturning my seven calls and twelve texts?”

“Alex,” I bark before taking a drag. “I’ll deal with Xavier tomorrow. I need you to get dressed.”

“Fuck that.”

“Alex, for fuck’s sake,” my voice cracks, “please.I need one person to listen to me tonight.”

He’s quiet for a few beats. “Let me guess, your dad insisted you get rid of Gray, and knowing you, you tried to do just that while still pretending you and Gray have any hope of a relationship?”

How does he know that?

Before I can ask, he continues, “You do realize when I call and text nonstop for hours on end, it isusuallyfor a good reason.”

I straighten, balling my fist. “What happened?”

“I didn’t want to leave a digital footprint…just in case…but Xavier got permission to buy OAT. He went right over our heads, to Mr. Davidson, and your dad. They already signed the contracts. Any guesses as to how a random mobster got that to happen?”

My mind races with possibilities. “I’ll wait.”

“Fucking hell, Alex,please.”

“Blackmail. Mr. Davidson camerunninginto the office today, demanding to know where you were. I suspected something was off since the man does literallynothing, so I hacked into his emails. Did you know his password ispassword?What an idiot.” When I growl, he gets to the point. “Xavier sent a file to your lovely bigoted dadandMr. Davidson. I got overwhelmed looking at it all, but it’s basically every bad thing that your dad and Mr. Davidson have done, along with someveryrisque photos of Gray on his knees in the backyard of yourhouse.”

I nearly drop the phone. “When was this email sent?”

“This morning. 8 am sharp.”

All the blood rushes out of my face.

Thatis why my dad was so angry.

Thatis why he didn’t give me a chance to speak andthatis why he fucking hit me.

“The good news is, congrats! You’re out of the closet.” And in the most sarcastic voice ever, he coos, “yay!”

“Fuck! FUCK!”

“Stop that.”

“Alex, my dadknows…he knows and he…and he…”

“By then, he was focused on our reputation, not wanting the media to know his wife had an abortion, even though it was medically necessary. We argued whenever you were at school. We argued at night and…I couldn’t take it.”

“It was the stipulation. I left without you or stayed and became a better wife.”

My dad’s demands from early crash into me.

“Get. Rid. Of. Him.”

“Nothing is going to come between me and winning this election. Nothing. Not your drunk of a mother and not my idiot son. Get rid of that man or so help me god, Hunter.”

“It’s only a matter of time before we’re both out of a job.”

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