Page 100 of Seeing Grayscale

I don’t think he’ll survive that kind of damage.

“I’ve tried looking into him, tried finding dirt but there’s nothing,” he whimpers the last word before growling, “not afuckingthing on Xavier Malone.”

The color drops from my face like a boulder off a cliff. Fast and heavy, plummeting below before it inevitably crashes, exploding into dust. I pull back, searching his eyes,positivethat I misheard him. One look at my face, and he loses his composure—no longer defeated but full of steely anger.

“You know him? Have you heard of him?”

My mouth opens to tell him what I do know, but the door whips open, nearly slamming into my back. A nurse pops herhead around it, startled to find us tangled in each other. “I’m sorry. I can come back,” she chirps.

“No need,” Hunter says smoothly. He nods at the nurse, a clear indicator that I am more important than what we were discussing. I bite my lip, hesitating momentarily before pecking a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Sorry,” I say to the nurse once we’re out in the hall.

“Perfectly okay.” She smiles, leading me to the X-ray room. “That's your boyfriend?”

Is he? We haven’t labeled anything other than desperate admissions ofwantin between frantic kisses. “I think so?”

That makes her laugh. “Honey, if you don’t know, he ain’t doing a good job.”

I don’t say anything and neither does she as it returns to business as usual. But the entire time I’m being x-rayed, I think about it.

If you don’t know, he ain’t doing a good job.

But Idoknow…don’t I?

FORTY-TWO

WhenGrayfirsttoldme about his fear of quicksand, I thought he was being dramatic. Like I told him, we don’t live anywhere near the desert. But that’s exactly how it feels. I’ve stepped into this illusion of solid ground, only to realize too late that I’m stuck with no way to relieve myself of the inevitable pull, tugging me down.

Alex has exhausted all of his resources and contacted everyone there is to contact. I was positive this entire endeavor would turn out to be a lost cause until Gray’s face fell. Genuine fear blastedthrough his irises, the color draining from his cheeks. He knows Xavier somehow—the fact he does is infuriating and terrifying.

Having a threat thisextremehanging over the both of us isn’t one to fuck around with.

I know that.

The part of me that still longs for my dad’s approval is itching to warn him, to beg him to take care of the problem before it evolves into something neither of us can combat.

But then I remember I can’t.

I’ve allowed myself to dig this hole so deep that even poking my head above the surface is putting a target on everything hiding within it. How I’ve strayed from my original task—how I’ve taken in a man off the street and am falling for him.

I scrape my nails through my hair, gripping the ends and tugging. Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I had never pursued Gray. If I left him that money and never came back. It’s self preservation making me think this shit. Because Iknowwhat would’ve happened to him, it’s my own ass I’m trying to save now.

What good is keeping all these secrets if someone like Xavier has access to them?

An eternity passes before Gray comes back into the exam room. The nurse escorting him mutters that the doctor will be in shortly. He waits until the door clicks shut before rushing me. His hands come to my chest, palming the muscles while searching my face.

“Xavier is bad news,” he says carefully. “Like really bad.”

“I’ve gathered as much,” I sigh. “How do you know him?”

He squirms under my stare. “Ray and Dan get their supply from his guys. Xavier is pretty hands-on, so I’ve…seen him around.”

My eyebrows fly into my hairline. “Dan? Who the hell is Dan? And supply as indrugs?” I whisper the word.

“Yeah,” he nods, cheeks darkening. “Dan is…well he…”

“Who is he, Gray?” I’m trying to control my temper, but it’s proving impossible. The question is barked so loudly he flinches.

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