my son sees is real. Which is why I need him to forget it. There are some things he shouldn’t see.”
There’s something about the tone of that. Something that frightens me. It’s like the senator knows that something big is coming, and he’s terrified by it.
“What is it?” I ask. “Is it something I do? What happens?”
“It’s nothing you do,” Senator Hammond assures me. “It would be easier if it were. No, it’s something I do. Something that no son should ever see his father doing. He doesn’t understand it yet, but he will, and when he does, he’ll hate me.”
“So that’s why you want the fading machine?” I say.
Senator Hammond nods. “So let’s hope that Jack hurries up. For all our sakes.”
NINE
A fter that, the bodyguards blindfold us again to take us back to the apartment room. I guess it’s not as bad as the tiny cell we started off in, but even a nice prison is still a prison, as I’m reminded every time I try to use my cuffed hands. I look in on the bedroom, and I see that there are clothes laid out there. Senator Hammond obviously wants us to be comfortable. That, or he wants to make sure we look that way for Jack and his father when they come here.
It’s hard thinking like that. It’s hard being in the middle of a world where practically everybody is lying, and you don’t know who to trust. I mean, yes, that’s a pretty good description of the average school cafeteria, but the stakes here are a bit higher than whether the in crowd likes me.
“Fresh clothes?” Grayson says. “Great. In that case, I’m going to take a shower and get changed. These clothes have been through far too much in the past couple of days.”
That’s true. He wore them for the assault on the Others’ base, he was wearing them when I almost burnt him alive, and now he’s had them on continuously for at least a day and a half. Not that my clothes are in much better shape. Grayson grabs the clothes left for him and hurries off to take a shower, leaving me there to look through the rest of the clothing that has been laid out. There’s a nice silk dress for me that reminds me of some of the things I wore when I was modeling as part of my cover ID with Jack.
It isn’t long before Grayson comes out of the bathroom. And he looks incredible. His hair is still wet, and he’s wearing jeans. Just jeans, leaving his chest gloriously bare as he dries his hair with a towel. When did he get muscles like that? Somewhere in the last few months, it’s like someone has flicked a switch and he’s gone from “cute looking boy” to “muscular sexy man” just like that. He even smells nice. Clean soap smell on just washed warm skin.
Grayson smiles over at me. “I so needed that. I don’t know how you managed to stand being around me that long without a shower.”
“I must be used to it,” I say with a laugh. I pick up the dress left for me. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
I head into the bathroom with it, and start to get changed. There’s just one problem. I can’t get my existing clothes off completely. Not alone. Which means I’ll need Grayson’s help. Do I really want that, after the footage Senator Hammond already has? But then, what else can he do that’s worse? And Grayson has already seen me in my underwear. When we were together, as boyfriend and girlfriend before I was faded, he’s seen less. I make my decision.
“Grayson, I could do with some help in here.”
He’s still shirtless when he comes in. I hadn’t expected that, but it’s too
There’s something about the tone of that. Something that frightens me. It’s like the senator knows that something big is coming, and he’s terrified by it.
“What is it?” I ask. “Is it something I do? What happens?”
“It’s nothing you do,” Senator Hammond assures me. “It would be easier if it were. No, it’s something I do. Something that no son should ever see his father doing. He doesn’t understand it yet, but he will, and when he does, he’ll hate me.”
“So that’s why you want the fading machine?” I say.
Senator Hammond nods. “So let’s hope that Jack hurries up. For all our sakes.”
NINE
A fter that, the bodyguards blindfold us again to take us back to the apartment room. I guess it’s not as bad as the tiny cell we started off in, but even a nice prison is still a prison, as I’m reminded every time I try to use my cuffed hands. I look in on the bedroom, and I see that there are clothes laid out there. Senator Hammond obviously wants us to be comfortable. That, or he wants to make sure we look that way for Jack and his father when they come here.
It’s hard thinking like that. It’s hard being in the middle of a world where practically everybody is lying, and you don’t know who to trust. I mean, yes, that’s a pretty good description of the average school cafeteria, but the stakes here are a bit higher than whether the in crowd likes me.
“Fresh clothes?” Grayson says. “Great. In that case, I’m going to take a shower and get changed. These clothes have been through far too much in the past couple of days.”
That’s true. He wore them for the assault on the Others’ base, he was wearing them when I almost burnt him alive, and now he’s had them on continuously for at least a day and a half. Not that my clothes are in much better shape. Grayson grabs the clothes left for him and hurries off to take a shower, leaving me there to look through the rest of the clothing that has been laid out. There’s a nice silk dress for me that reminds me of some of the things I wore when I was modeling as part of my cover ID with Jack.
It isn’t long before Grayson comes out of the bathroom. And he looks incredible. His hair is still wet, and he’s wearing jeans. Just jeans, leaving his chest gloriously bare as he dries his hair with a towel. When did he get muscles like that? Somewhere in the last few months, it’s like someone has flicked a switch and he’s gone from “cute looking boy” to “muscular sexy man” just like that. He even smells nice. Clean soap smell on just washed warm skin.
Grayson smiles over at me. “I so needed that. I don’t know how you managed to stand being around me that long without a shower.”
“I must be used to it,” I say with a laugh. I pick up the dress left for me. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
I head into the bathroom with it, and start to get changed. There’s just one problem. I can’t get my existing clothes off completely. Not alone. Which means I’ll need Grayson’s help. Do I really want that, after the footage Senator Hammond already has? But then, what else can he do that’s worse? And Grayson has already seen me in my underwear. When we were together, as boyfriend and girlfriend before I was faded, he’s seen less. I make my decision.
“Grayson, I could do with some help in here.”
He’s still shirtless when he comes in. I hadn’t expected that, but it’s too
Similar Books
