Page 128 of Wandering in Darkness
“Nicely enough,” he says, trying to slyly hide his hands.
“We were too far away to do anything. Why the hell would you get kidnapped without alerting us first?” Felix asks.
I raise an eyebrow. “It weirdly wasn’t my plan!”
Felix grumbles about that as I’m ushered into the car. “Do we need to get one of those kiddy leashes for you so we can’t lose track of you?”
“You act like Cal purposely wanders off,” Lane says. “Just admit you’ve been starving to death since Grayson’s been here.”
Felix gives me such a desperate look. “Cal, I’ve been so hungry. I’ve never starved for so long! I told Kiwi he could eat me if I starve to death.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Oh, I’m glad to know that you want to put me on a leash because you’re hungry.”
“Nah, not only because of that. Just mostly because of it.”
“Do you think everything is going to be okay?” Lane asks me.
“Audrey claims she erased all mention of me being involved,” I say, hoping that’s true. “As for Grayson, you were following orders anytime you were involved.”
“I was. They were legitimate orders. We just had no idea that he was changing them to benefit himself.”
“Well, no matter what happens, we’ll be here for you,” Felix assures us. “If they try to throw you in prison, we’ll break you out.”
“They’re not throwing us in prison,” I say.
“I really have my doubts anything will come of it for either of us,” Grayson says. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
He reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“If not, I’ve got a man who’ll give you a new identity,” Felix offers.
“Well, that’s not concerning,” I say, which makes everyone laugh.
TWENTY-FIVE
CAL
It’s been four weeks since Lt. Allen was taken in. In that time, no one has reached out to either of us. Honestly, they’re keeping much of it under wraps, but what we’ve learned from Grayson’s friends aligns with what Audrey told us. After Allen decided he was done doing work for others, he began to take things in his own hands, eliminating anyone who could possibly stop him, and in turn starting his own empire where he could transport drugs and money using resources and people he should never have had access to.
The rumor is that Audrey took a deal where she would confess everything in exchange for a new life, and so far, she must have kept her promise of keeping me out of it.
“What are our plans today?” I ask.
“You mean you’re not going to lie naked on the bed?”
“I’ve been controlling myself… somewhat. I mean… trying to,” I say. “Grayson, I just look at you and my clothes explode off my body.”
“Understandable,” he teases.
I grin at him.
“What do you want to do?” he asks as he watches me.
Living with Felix and Lane gave me comfort to keep moving forward, but living with Grayson is a whole different thing. For as long as I can remember, I spent so much time alone that I never knew what it was like to not be alone.
At first, I was extremely anxious. I felt like I watched everything Grayson did, as though I was terrified that if I looked away for one minute, he’d disappear.
I knew it wasn’t healthy, but it was hard to stop myself. And I didn’t even realize he noticed it until he asked if he could go to one of my sessions with my counselor.
