“I’m so sorry,” I say to my mom for the tenth time. “This is all my fault. Are you sure you don’t need a doctor or something?” My eyes roam over her body, looking for some kind of injury.
She doesn't look to have been kidnapped, but Mom is always put together. From what she told me already, all the kidnappers did was ask her a range of questions. Once an alarm sounded in the warehouse she was being held in, chaos ensued, and the two men that had taken her ran out of there in a hurry.
A few moments later, men dressed in tactical gear from head to toe showed up and saved her. They too probed her with a range of questions but not about me. They wanted to know information on the men that took her and then they explained that she can’t tell anyone what happened. What went on was a matter of national security, so she’d agreed before they put her into the back of a van and brought her here to Gray’s. This is insane, and clearly, I’ve been in way over my head since the start.
“It sounds as if you were on to something important. They kept going on about drones before men who I can only guess are the FBI or CIA showed up, and now I’m in the home of Gray Malice. Who my daughter was kissing. Nyet? Did I not see that correctly?” Her Russian accent comes out, and I feel chided.
“You saw it correctly.” My cheeks start to warm because we’ve done more than kiss.
“Then he is a good man if he is working for the government?” I wonder if those kidnappers went so easy on my mom because it’s clear she’s Russian. It could also be that Gray was able to alert where she was so she could be rescued quickly.
“I think so?” I’m still putting it all together, but he has to be. I can’t see it any other way.
“Think?” Her brows lift.
I tell her what I overheard at the club and how we've now ended up here. Then I explain that the more I dig and watch with my own eyes, the more I realize Gray must be working with the government. Our conversation about how he’s worried some of the technology his family has created could do as much harm as it does good. He’s trying to make this world a better place and to outweigh anything that lies on his conscience. The man really does take on all the burdens, even ones that aren't his to carry.
“I’ve really stepped into it. If I had stayed out of it, I wouldn’t have created this mess.” I drop down on the bed next to my mom.
“But you didn’t know Gray was good. You were brave, my solnyshko.” She takes my hand. “Those men who took me are not good men. They are the very reason why your grandmother brought me here.”
“I can’t believe she broke her finger punching one of them.” I smile, shaking my head.
“Yes you can.” She squeezes my hand. “I just want you to be careful. Whatever this is isn’t over.”
“I know, but we’re safe here, and Gray is having Grandma brought over.” I reassure not only her but myself too. She thinks I’m brave, but I’m not feeling that way at the moment.
I leave my mom so she can take a shower and rest. Someone brought up a tray of food, and she said she’s going to eat and go to sleep when she’s finished. I’m sure it’s been a long day for her.
When I make my way back downstairs, I follow the sounds of shouting. What surprises me is that I recognize Keaton’s voice. It sounds like he and Gray are about to come to blows, and wouldn’t that be a freaking mess. The two of them losing it on each other is not something I want to witness. With their abilities, who knows what could happen? We already have a big enough mess to deal with, and we don’t need superhumans fighting it out in the living room.
“You’ve made me and my family out to be the villain in your story, but you’re playing with fucking terrorists!” Keaton’s voice booms down the hallway.
I rush into the room before this gets out of control, and thankfully, I see Elsy is there holding on to Keaton’s arm. If he moves, he’ll have to take her with him, and he’s not going to do that. Gray is standing behind his desk, but when he hears me enter, both men turn in my direction.
“He’s not working with them.” I quickly come to Gray’s defense because I can’t help myself.
“Why else would they blow up my fucking building? Unless they’re doing it for you.” Keaton points his finger at Gray. “You made it clear from the beginning you have it out for me and my father.”
“I had nothing to do with that, but I believe they see you as a threat. I explained to them that our families no longer work together.”
“You explained it to them?” If possible, Keaton looks more enraged. “You’re actually talking to them? Do they know what we are?”
“We don’t even know what we are!” Gray fires back while bracing his hands on his desk.
“No, he wouldn't tell them that.” Again I come to Gray’s defense. “He’s just selling them these drones that can’t be detected and are weirdly invisible because they reflect off the things around them?” My explanation comes out sounding more like a question. Honestly, I don’t fully understand how the technology works, but I get the concept. At least I think I do, but that’s neither here nor there.
“Hyperstealth biotechnology,” Elsy whispers loudly.
“Come here,” Gray says to me, and my feet move on their own. It’s not until I’m close to him that I realize how on edge he is. I lean into him, placing my hand on his chest, knowing somehow I’m what he needs. Both Keaton’s and Elsy’s eyes widen when they see Gray wrap his arms around me.
“I thought you were trying to take him down,” Elsy says as if she’s reminding me. I was, and in the beginning, I hoped that she’d be able to help me.
“Like I’ve been trying to say, it’s not what I thought. He’s working with the government to take down these buyers. Some of this is my mess, and I’m sorry for that,” I rush to tell them. “I poked around, and I think I got them spooked or something.”
“Or something?” Keaton grumbles.
“Watch it,” Gray snaps at him.
“That night at Elsy’s party, I realized you’d been dosed with X too, and I wondered how you were so in control. It’s because the obsession you had then was revenge against me. You didn’t have someone like Elsy, but now I think you do.” Keaton watches us, and Gray’s hold on me tightens. “Did you notice that? Whatever this is inside of us can be obsessive. We fixate on something and can’t let go. I drove myself insane fearing I’d hurt Elsy if I got near her with the need I felt. I had a pure tunnel version only to realize she was my cure.”
I turn my head up to see Gray’s expression, and he doesn’t deny it. I think Keaton is right, though. That first night I’d met him, he was all over me and wouldn’t let me leave. I don’t think it had anything to do with what I knew. I think Gray Malice just wanted me.
“I wouldn’t need to know anything about what’s inside of us if it was never created.”
“Tunnel vision.” Keaton shakes his head. “You think my father made that alone? You know he didn’t. It was both of them. You’re just too pissed to realize it. You may want to make my father pay for your father’s death, but I promise you he’s paid. He pays for it every day. I see the sorrow in his eyes. You’re not the only one that lost him. They were like brothers.”
Gray’s head drops, and I can actually feel some of the anger and resentment leave his body. “I couldn’t save him.”
“We can’t save them all.” Keaton’s voice is soft now. “We can only do what we think is right, but there’s much to learn from Formula X, and I think you know that. If we could figure a few things out…”
“The accelerated healing,” Gray responds in understanding, and Keaton nods. “I’ve been able to pinpoint it. The lactic acid bacteria act as vectors to produce and deliver a human chemokine. I only understand it enough to use on a surface level because I’m working from the inside out.”
“But as we know it works differently on some people,” Keaton says with regret for Gray’s father.
“Maybe,” Elsy cuts in, and I have no clue what any of this means. I tapped out at human chemokine. “Your case study is three people.” She holds her fingers up. “But either way, this is groundbreaking. You could—”
“Save millions,” Gray finishes for her. “You’re right. I’ve been focusing on the wrong things.”
“It’s not just you,” Keaton tells him. “But you’re seeing clearly now, aren’t you?” Keaton glances over at me.
“All right,” Gray agrees, and his body relaxes a bit more. “We’ll work together.”
This is awesome. I can’t believe my idea of them talking actually worked. Still, there are other issues at the forefront here.
“That’s great and all. It really is, but there’s still one giant Russian elephant in the room,” I remind everyone.
“That’s for me to clean up, little mouse.” Gray rubs a hand down my back. “Which I’ll be handling tonight.”
“Tonight?” My heart starts to race in fear. I don’t know what Gray can do, but he’s not bulletproof. Some wounds are too big to ever heal or come back from. I’m not some super-genius like them, but I understand basic biology.
“If we’re going to be working together, how about I tag along? I’m guessing you’ve set some kind of trap?” Keaton offers as he walks over toward the desk. “They did blow up my lab.”
“You don’t have to,” Gray tells him.
“I want to. Besides, if you end up dead, everything you know goes with you.” Keaton smirks. I know he’s teasing, but my stomach sinks.
“You’re scaring her,” Gray growls.
“You two need to learn to control that growl because you cannot do that in public,” Elsy says.
She’s right. It’s sexy but not really human-sounding. “I’d be less scared if Keaton went with you. Two superheroes are better than one. Right?” That math sounds good to me.
“I’m the hero.” Keaton points to himself then over to Gray. “He’s the villain.” He smiles. Another one of those growls leaves Gray, and I place my hand on his chest.
“I’ve always kind of had a thing for the villain of the story,” I tell Gray.
“There are some good villains,” Elsy says, and Keaton pretends to roll his eyes.
“Little mouse.” There is a sexy warning in his tone that warms my whole body.
Sometimes the villain is what a girl needs. This girl at least.