Antidote (Don't) (53 page)

“Yours?” She raised a brow. “A Master Dom who never collared his sub? Even you hid from his disorders and Martin. Hypocrite.”

“Hypocrite?” he said flatly. “For the past eleven years I’ve just made the constant mistake of prioritising Jack’s disorders over Jack himself, and probably damaged him just as much in the process. But—” Gray went close. “Wearing no collar and given the choice between the bastards, Jack came home to me. And I’ll use every last mile you put between us to ensure I find out why.”

Elena hit the phone out of his hand. “Here, Italy,” she shouted, “Jack will come after
me
.”

“You’ve yet to reach the safety of home shores.” Gray raised a brow. “And there are a variety of bastards out there, Ms. Fortello, I should know, I’ve trained a good proportion of them.” He smiled. “You keep that heads-up real close.”

“You—” Whatever else she went to say was cut short as Gray pushed her back, sending her stumbling to the front door. “Greg—Greg,” she shouted as she tried to look back into the lounge. “For godssake, stop this.” I grabbed Greg’s arm seeing the tension in his face. “Fucking grow some,” Elena added, and every ounce of feeling drained from his face. “All that weakness—
he gets it from you
.”

Someone passed in front of the window and I guessed that call made earlier had kicked in as the front door was opened and Elena’s cries bled outside. Seeing Gray talking outside the front window to another man, I took hold of Greg’s hand and watched how he nearly jumped back from the contact.

“Greg, I think you should sit dow—” He choked the last bit out of me as he threw an arm around my shoulder and pulled me in like nothing more than a piece of broken wood to stay afloat with.

“Jan... for godssake, son. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“’S okay,” I said quietly, although everything felt far from okay. Halliday came over, straightening his jacket but frowning between us as Gray came back in and picked up his phone.

“Apologies, Philip,” he said, nodding at Halliday.

Halliday just smiled thinly. “Anytime you need a private session, Gray, you let me know. Any time you want sectioning, I’ll get the papers signed and sealed.” He fell quiet for a moment. “Everything pre-planned, Gray,” he said softly. “The psychological evaluation report my department gave, she would have known how to hide any psychological instability.”

“You think...” Greg frowned, winning Halliday’s attention. “I’ve seen nothing,” he said quietly. “I—”

“She’s hidden any signs and let you see what you needed to see,” said Halliday, and his eyes narrowed, “and over a sustained portion of her life, by the look of things.”

Gray smiled thinly, then looked at Greg. “I’m going to have to confiscate all of your computers.”

Greg stiffened. “In my home? She... she watched that here?”

“Your internet usage has been checked and watched continuously—”

“What?” said Greg, eyes wide.

“But with Elena’s skill, codes could have been encrypted over many months now,” said Gray, gently. “I won’t know for sure until we’ve looked at her files. I’ll call my department and make the arrangements.” He was back with me. “We need to go.”

I pushed Greg to arm’s length. “Greg, is there anyone I can call? I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Greg wiped at his nose. “I’m fine.” But Gray was already making a call. “Steve,” he said, looking at Greg, “I know it’s your day off, but can you come over to Gregory’s?” A pause. “Thank you.” The mobile was slipped into Gray’s pocket. “Philip, can I please ask that you stay here with Gregory until Jack’s manager arrives?”

“Yes, yes of course.”

Gray nodded his thanks. “Once he arrives, could you make your way to my manor?”

“Jack.” That came from Greg. He looked so bloody pale. “Gray, wh-what the hell are you going to tell him?”

“The truth,” said Gray, already turning away.

“You can’t.” Greg forced him to a stop. “For godssake, you can’t tell him
this
.”

I went over to them and gave Greg a small smile. “He needs the release.” With how hard Greg kept shaking his head, I fell quiet.

“I know him,” he said, looking at Gray. “Goddammit, Gray. I think you do too. This—this will kill him.”

“He’s struggled enough—”

“And you think
this
,” Greg swept a hand around his room, “you think telling him this is going to help right at this moment?” Greg was suddenly very close to Gray. “I love my boy; I love him so fucking much even though every time he leaves me battered and bruised from the inside out.” His fist rested against his chest. “I’ve watched him grow up knowing the pressures and stresses that make him fugue. Telling him this, he won’t cope—not family, not this—you know it. You damn well know it. So please, please don’t tell him. For me. One thing, just give me this one thing.”

Watching Greg, Gray tensed the muscles in his jaw.

“Please,” said Greg. “Give me the space to talk to him as my son, when I know he’ll cope.”

A look at me, Gray turned away, heading for the door and leaving Greg there looking at his feet. I rubbed Greg’s arm as I passed and let him know I’d get Jack to give him a call as soon as Halliday had finished talking to him.

I caught up with Gray as he got in his Mercedes Benz and slumped in my own seat, just about managing to fasten my belt before I felt the pull of the car. Eyes closing, I rested my head back, no longer able to think beyond the basics of breathing.

“Ops are heading over to Elena’s to check for leads on the whereabouts of April Leamore,” mumbled Gray. “I’ve handed Elena over to one of my team for questioning regarding April too.”

“You won’t question her?”

“No,” he said flatly.

“Because of the personal connection?”

“Because I wouldn’t give a fuck about what she has to say, and that won’t give any release to April’s family.”

Clarity over understanding that left me quiet. I wouldn’t give a fuck either. “Do you think she’s dead?”

“Gut instinct says yes. She’s been out of the picture for far too long.”

I nodded. “And the people behind the financing of all this?”

“They’re my priority.”

The tone to that kept me quiet for a while. “Why didn’t you get the necklace fixed,” I asked eventually.

There was quiet, then, “Jack asked me not to,” he said quietly. “After I showed it to him, he said he wanted me to have it. That things shouldn’t be fixed to hide the screw ups. And that I should let him have it back if he was ever close to losing himself again.”

“And you kept it,” I said quietly. The fact that Gray had kept a broken necklace in his safe all these years with more acclaimed possessions on display outside of it said everything.

“You okay?”

Cracking an eye open, I glanced at Gray. “No.” I wiped at my eyes. “You?”

I caught Gray shaking his head and I rested down. Life was fucked, fucked up and beyond the point of listening to the shouts for a final timeout.

On the ride up to Gray’s manor, I noticed the state of the Rolls Royce before Gray did. Gray’s security team were either around it or over by the main manor entrance, where the door stood wide open. Just to the left of that, an office chair lay on the gravel surrounded by broken glass. The office window was broken, with cool air gratefully clambering inside. Ray stood cradling his wrist as blood dripped onto the floor, and he stood by the Rolls, his head turned in our direction as Gray pulled the Mercedes to a stop.

“What the fuck now?” breathed Gray, already unbuckling his seatbelt. I’d beaten him to it, opening the door and pushing out. The alarm to the Rolls was crying hurt into the afternoon, yellow hazard light blinking and showing its distress.

Gray headed for his Rolls. “Just what the
hell’s
gone on—?”

“Gray.” Ray was already over by us and he was holding onto a nasty gash on the back of his hand. “You need to get in there,” he said quickly.

“What?” said Gray, looking ready to by-pass slaughtering someone and just go for burying alive.

“Everything was quiet with Jack for a while. He had some breakfast; then he disappeared into your office—”

“Ah,” breathed Gray, and he was suddenly moving for the manor. “
Where
?”

“
Your new gallery
,” shouted Ray as I ran after Gray. We followed the ruckus and found more security guards closer to the gallery we had set up. Ed was outside looking wide-eyed and pale. My first thought must have been the same as Gray’s as he instantly stopped by Ed, checking him out for wounds.

“
I’m fine
,” shouted Ed. He had to shout because music blared from the gallery, along with the sound of breaking glass. “
But Jack. Careful, Gray. He’s armed. He’s got a baseball bat
....”

Gray nodded and looked back at me. I made it to the door as Gray pushed it open and let me pass. The musky smell of sweat hit me first as some latest rock music threatened my eardrums. Then as Gray came in, heading for the source of the music, the wreckage of photo frames, art, torn banners, and broken glass held me still.

Gray cut the music, seemed to stare around the broken debris of art, then moved for Jack with such bloody speed. Jack was mid-swing of the bat, all aimed at a piece of art that had already taken one hit. Gray slipped his arms around Jack’s, almost forcing them behind his back, but Jack seemed to jolt, swear, shrug free, then turn and slam his elbow into Gray. Gray pulled away at the last minute, but it still caught his jaw.

Nearly losing his footing, Jack laughed, then threw his arms out, baseball bat in hand now he saw Gray.

“Hey, boss. Missed me? Thought I’d help out with the new private exhibition here.” He indicated the broken pictures and frames littering the hall. Most had been splintered by the bat, only one lay untouched, and it seemed to steal all of Jack’s attention. I remembered when I’d unwrapped that a few months ago. Christ, I’d been stunned by it, how the ropes around Jack’s body held him in such a beautifully submissive pose, all his disorders brought to the surface and captured in soft light, me just there in the background, watching.

Giving a cry and burying mine as it nearly choked free, Jack took a swing at the picture and hit dead centre before hardly seeming to take breath and hit it again.

This time when Gray shifted for him, Jack never saw him coming.

Going with the swing of the bat after it whirled past him, Gray set Jack off centre with a push at his shoulder, sending him stumbling back into the swing, then grabbing him by the wrist, moving his body in close as Gray forced Jack up against the wall and made sure he dropped the bat. It looked and sounded violent, but Gray had his head resting against Jack’s, eyes screwed shut, whispering repeatedly in Jack’s ear.

“I didn’t mean for you to see that. Hurts... I know it fucking hurts, kid,” he said to Jack.

Shouting out, Jack bucked under Gray, pushing him back, and glass crunched under Gray’s foot as he was forced away.

“Saw the kind of things you’ve taken to watching lately, mukka.”

Jack pulled out the DVD, underneath was a notepad and Jack threw them at Gray’s feet. “You get the police to back off too, hmmm? I mean, leaves me wondering a few things here, Gray. See Vince? He would have needed a hell of a lot of financial backing for that shit. Not to mention behind-the-scene knowledge over CCTV setup, and
then
the tech-people needed to maintain it,” said Jack, suddenly looking very calm. “And the only person with that kind of money, with the contact to set up a scene like that—not to mention being the only one who had issues with me and Cutter.” He smiled. “Is
you
.”

“Jack, what?” I took a step closer as Gray frowned.

Head tilting slightly, Jack narrowed his eyes, the grey in them seeming to sparkle in the sunlight that split the room. “What was it you said to me when I got out of hospital; you were twisted enough to take me down to get at Cutter?” Jack’s voice was a whisper. “I should be fucking flattered really, that you should go to such extremes. I mean, hiring someone to rape the fuck out of me. Fuck knows, I cried no often enough even Cutter would cover his ears an—”

Gray was up against Jack, making him flinch as he slammed a fist inches from his head. “
You think I did that
?” Gray grabbed Jack by the throat. “You think I’d fucking hurt
you
—like
that
?”

“
Twice. You beat the shit out of me twice for my screw-ups as a kid
,” Jack shouted back. “
A little too convenient all the shit that came after, don’t you fucking think—boss
.”

Gray laughed, then wiped a hand over his mouth. “And you, you think I’m behind it all?”

Jack went very calm. “You never once asked for a witness statement, Gray. Why was that?”

I tried to stop Gray as I saw him pull his fist back, but I was too slow and he slammed into the wall inches from Jack again. “
I fucking did. But you know what?”
he let rush out,
“it wouldn’t have stood up in court. Wanna know why? Because of the drugs you had in your system, because of how they twisted your head—because you’re such a fucking head case with a longer history of being a fucking head case, you fuck
.”