Page 71 of Lessons In Grey

Not even thirty seconds passed before I heard the sound of the door clicking shut and the lock flipping over.

He stepped in my line of sight, hands in his pockets. “Now, why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

I swallowed, keeping my eyes locked on his chest, my throat closing, the tears burning my eyes.

When he realized that I was done talking, he spoke again. “You fear Jordan Magraw more than you fear me?” he asked, his voice deadly. “Do you know how many people fear my name? How many people have disappeared because of my family? Not just because we slaughtered them, but many of them slid into hiding because they feared what we would do to them. We found them anyway, killed them, but they truly gave it their best shot.”

My eyes lifted to his, finding the truth simmering in their depths. “I don’t know anything about the fear your family spreads across this world, what I do know is that everything left of my mom and my sister is in that garage. My dad gave him the key because Jordan said he wanted to go through it to give me the ‘best Christmas present ever’,” I explained, rage dripping from my voice. “I thought he was fucking stupid, but you can find anything on the internet these days, and you can learn to build anything you want. Do you know how much c4 it takes to blow up a two-car garage half-filled with boxes?”

His eye twitched. “About 5 kilograms.”

“He bought 25. It’s not just my shit that I’ll lose, Rags, the neighbors will die, along with dad and Helen.”

He worked his jaw and straightened. “Where is the switch?”

“On him.”

“Terms?”

I lifted my good arm, gesturing to all of me. “Take a good fucking guess.”

“What the fuck, Emily?” Ash breathed out, clearly terrified. “You should have called the police. You could have died.”

I glared at her. “I know how to play the game,” I stated bitterly while my insides wilted away.

“You shouldn’t know how to play any fucking game, that’s the problem,” she breathed desperately.

I rolled my eyes, settling back on the hand that still rested on the desk. She didn’t understand it. She didn’t understand what was happening, what the fuckingwardendemanded of me. I had tried to make a break for it, and the warden swallowed the k—

A little red box with a green bow appeared on my desk.

My brows furrowed, eyes lifting. “What is this?”

“Ash, go get Syn, both of you drive your vehicles to her house, that should be enough room to grab what she needs.”

My eyes flicked to hers, the anger in her eyes palpable. “I’ll see you there,” she stated coldly, and left.

I turned back to the box, carefully pulling it forward.

“Those are your keys,” Rags explained, his voice a hair softer than it had been before. “I got you that place. I planned on a more romantic surprise, but this will have to do.”

The anger drained from me. “You what?”

He picked up my bag and shouldered it. “Get up.”

I searched his eyes for a moment longer before shoving myself to a stand, but it wasn’t without effort. “I ignored you all weekend, I was just a bitch to you, and you still thought this was worth it?”

“Why blame the kitten for doing what’s in its nature?” heasked as we made our way to the door. “You have claws, Emily, you just don’t know how to use them yet. Which is fine, use them on me all you need, just know that eventually, I will bite back.”

My cheeks burned at his small smile.

He opened the door for us, letting us out, classes already in session leaving the hall empty.

I chewed on my lip as we walked down the hall, his pace matching mine, despite how much rage boiled under his skin. “I’m sorry,” I finally said, flexing my left hand, wincing as it shifted in the sling.

“I forgive you.”

My chest tightened and I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Did I lose your trust?”