Antidote (Don't) (50 page)

“The maid?”

Gray nodded. “It’s why you find him in here most of the time, and the echo of a retreating Mrs. Booth.” He took another sip of coffee. “He’s my house manager; a title of his own choosing that he says almost keeps him out of trouble.”

“It’s got to be hard,” I said, “for you, I mean, knowing the respect, care, and attention Jack gives his own family, yet with yours?”

Gray winced. “I’m more worried Jack will find out and give it the typical ‘yeah, still fucking hate you, mate,’ mouth.”

I chuckled. Gray might have something there.

“And your grandfather is okay with all of the...” I shrugged. “Master Circle business?”

“He worked there long before I did on the tech side, kitting out the scenes with surveillance, but I didn’t know that until I became a Master.”

“Ah. You didn’t find that a little awkward?”

“I saw him retired from the post.”

I chuckled. “That couldn’t have gone down well.”

“It was around the time that I noticed he was interested in our old ex maid who’d started work in one of the London hotels.”

“Mrs. Booth, by any chance?”

“Hmmm.”

“And Mrs. Booth got a very well paid job here at that time, I take it?”

Gray shrugged.

“Do you manipulate and control everyone you meet?”

“I keep an eye on the people I care for and I make sure they get what they need out of life. So control and manipulate? Yes, every fucking time.”

“And your parents? Where do they fit in?”

“Ex-personnel are given the option to train as a Dom and work as a Dom at the Master’s Circle,” said Gray, the change in direction smooth, but noted. “They’ve earned it in my eyes. It’s also the main reason why we have a psychology department.”

“Post traumatic stress and other conditions,” I said to Gray’s nod. A look down at my empty coffee, I mumbled, “It’s a good cause.”

“Hmmm?”

“Looking after serving and ex-serving soldiers and such.”

Gray downed his coffee. “When the government’s not pissing about and trying to cut funding.”

I nodded, then managed to snort a smile. “Jack doesn’t know, does he?”

Gray glanced at me.

“About the history of some of the people he helps train?”

“Yes, he does,” said Gray. “I wouldn’t put him in a situation where he didn’t fully know a trainee’s history. It’s also why I make sure he’s trained.” I caught how Gray fell pretty quiet with that, but a slow burn of pride still came in, but then it wasn’t hard to find it. Jack had a good soul; he’d love helping out ex-personnel.

Feeling my mobile let me know I had a text, I pulled it from my pocket.

Work...

...Mr. Hammond’s report past due-by date.

I snorted. Over by nearly three months. Christ, hadn’t Stefan diverted my work load?

“Anything interesting?”

I shook my head. “Just work.” Something filtered in just as Gray went to say something, and it took a moment to register that voices were coming from the lounge. Gray followed my gaze too. A sigh, he put his coffee down and pushed away. After giving my own sigh, I followed.

As we neared the front entrance, the heat in the voices grew louder until I rounded the corner into the reception hall and saw there were actually four people there. Two men blocked the front door, a third, Ray, was already heading over to us, and Jack, he was looking as pissed as hell, caught mid-flow ordering the two by the door to—“...
Fucking move
.”

Glancing back, Ray said quietly as he reached us, “I’ve just had confirmation that Doctor Halliday is on his way over.” He stopped, hands going in his pockets. “Jack’s not in any mood to wait. What—”

Jack saw us—Gray. “You got any idea of how fucked up this is?” he snarled at him. “I’m a fucking adult, for fuckssake, get them the fuck out of my way, Gray.” We made our way over as he said, “I need to get to work.”

Gray shook his head. “No, it’s Sunday. You don’t open the garage on Sundays,” he said calmly. “Certainly not when there’s a risk of Martin. You stay here at least until Doctor Halliday has seen you.”

“Move them, or I’ll fucking hurt them,” said Jack.

“For tomorrow, Steve’s been called in to look after your side whilst your father sorts a manager—”

“
What
?” Jack was in Gray’s face. “You go behind my fucking back and sort
my
business out with Steve? With my old man? Since when did you start talking to my old man?” Jack laughed, throwing his hands out. “Well ain’t that just real
fucking peachy
. Ain’t that—”

Taking hold of a bunch of coverall at Jack’s arm, I pulled him aside, away from Gray, away from Ray. Everyone but us. He went to tug away almost like I was the stranger getting in the middle of a street brawl, and I moved in quick, pulling him close, knowing he wouldn’t hit me. “Stay here, Jack. For me, please. Be safe.”

At first he fought to get away; then he was holding on almost for dear life. “Get him to let me go, Jan. Please. I need to go. I need to, to
work
. Please. Get him to let me go.”

“I know,” I whispered quietly, and I kissed his head, held him a little tighter. “Just please stay, just until Halliday has seen you. He’s on his way. An hour, maybe two. Then you can work.” I groaned, nearly crushing him. “I’ll go with you and name each part to stop you thinking if that’s what’s fucking helping you.”

Jack pulled away slightly, his hand between my throat and jaw. There were tears in his eyes, nothing that spilled, but everything there that needed to.

“I can bring cotton wool to stick up your nose,” I said quietly, trying a smile, “or worse, some of Ed’s socks, because, Jack, I’m getting so fucking desperate right now, and I’ll resort to stuffing anything up your nose just to get close to you.”

Jack choked a chuckle, and as he did, a tear fell. “You taking the piss, Richards?”

I kissed him, hard, quick. “Fuck yes—always, if it gets you to laugh like that again,” I mumbled quickly before pulling back and risking losing him again. “Just give Halliday his time, please.”

Rubbing at his head, looking as though it was splitting with how hurt his face looked, Jack nodded. “Head fuck,” he said quietly, and I stroked his face, then the bruise and small cut just above his brow from when he’d head-butted the unit. “Yeah, real bad, baby.”

As Jack turned and headed back upstairs, noise from back toward the kitchen caught my attention as Ed came in, sorting through the mail. Pausing for a minute and giving Jack’s retreating back a school teacher glare over the rim of his reading glasses, he then handed one particular package over to Gray. I saw the look that passed between them. Ray and the other guards dispersed as I went over.

“I’ve had it run for fingerprints,” said Ed “Same MO as all the others.”

I went still hearing that and Gray looked up, trying to ease the tension. “Intercepted and a message under a UV light?” he said quietly.

Ed nodded, and this was probably the first time I saw the family resemblance, just a touch, not so much in the eyes, but the slender build, shape of nose. “No website address this time, though.” He tapped that package. “That one, it’s marked for you.” Ed flicked a look at me. “He’s still staring. What have you told him?”

Gray didn’t look up from the package. “What he needs to know.”

“Hmmmm.” Ed eyed Gray warily; then I found I had a hand offered over. “Good to meet you properly, Jan.”

“You too as well, sir.”

“Ed’s just fine,” he said kindly. I shook his hand, his other came on top of mine, almost cupping it in his. “More than fine, okay?” He glanced at Gray. “More than.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled as he headed off up the stairs. Gray watched him, then asked me to follow him into his study. Once we were in his office, I saw how his hands shook as he donned plastic gloves, then took the package out of the plastic bag. As I shut the door, I noticed Jack’s UV security light as Gray took it from his drawer.

Gray opened the package, taking every care in the world, and a black DVD case slid out into his hand. No writing was on the front, none on the back as Gray turned it over. Waiting for me to join him, he clicked it open and ran a light over the inside casing.

Don’t...

...watch this, you bastard.

April.

Giving a brief look at me as I rested against his desk, Gray headed over to his in-built flat screen and inserted the DVD. He didn’t press play until he’d sat behind his desk, where he took his remote from a drawer.

A black screen; that was all that greeted us for a moment. Then a cell came into view and air became hard to intake. Life around the flat-screen TV blurred, blanking me to everything and everyone else. I was looking down on Jack’s bedroom. Wearing a suit, I’d just been dragged in by Henry. Vince was naked, with Jack unchained and staring at me. The day he’d crashed after the overdose. After the...

The groan that came wasn’t from the DVD, but from me as I closed my eyes. I knew this scene already, what was going to come, and I went around the desk, knelt in front of Gray, and took the remote off him. “You can’t see what happens next,” I said quietly. “This, it’s been sent to taunt, to hurt, nothing more.” I aimed the remote at the screen. “Don’t fucking watch this.”

“
Is Jan here, Jack
?” The volume wasn’t even up that loud, but I heard Vince then. “
You need to take control. Learn to fight back. If it helps, baby, hold him down like he held you down the other night. Show him how much it hurts
.”

Not even looking at me, gaze fixed firmly on the screen, Gray slipped his hand over mine and took the remote back.

“Gray.”

The cries from me were there as Jack dragged me onto the floor. “Wasn’t me, Jack. Wasn’t me. Wasn’t you. Please. Don’t hurt—”

I stifled my groan remembering Jack’s tear, how the tension seemed to drain from his body. He came down, head resting against mine. “Don’t... kiss me anymore, baby.” A sob wracked his body. “Please. Don’t... just don’t.... Hurts...” he breathed. “...Please.” His cheek brushed mine. “Stop.”

“Gray, you need to stop. Now.” He wouldn’t even look at me, and I sat back on my heels, blinking at Jack’s cries as he was dragged into the middle of his bedroom, as Vince came in carrying the branding iron.

“For pissing your Dom off again, boy.”

“Stop,” I mumbled.

“
Mercedes... Mercedes fucking Benz
.” Jack was naked and doubled, trying to hide, to get away from the heat of the second burn pressing down on his hip. “
Gray. Gray, for God’s sake—please.
Mercedes. Mercedes Benz—Mercedes fucking Ben
....”

“
Fucking enough
,” I cried, taking the remote and pressing a button, any button. Gray stared at the blank screen, letting his thumb brush distractedly at his lip, yet everything about him still looking so fucking calm. All except for the tear that spilled over one cheek, finally denying his will to keep it contained.

Easing up, I blocked his view of the screen, gently kissing his cheek, then lips, anything to distract from the to-the-death stare. “He’s here,” I said quietly, “this shit, it doesn’t matter, we got out, we’re—”

Gray got up, and with a hand on my shoulders, he pushed me to one side. Taking the remote with him, he aimed it at the screen and pressed play to repeat the branding.

“Gray.” Now I was up, in his face, trying to pull it from his hands. “
Stop
.” Cries hit the air again, and I tried to fight the need to hit Gray and get him to stop. Needing him to stop. “Needs to fucking stop no—”

Everything went quiet and the sudden silence made me jerk around as Gray went over to the flat screen. The DVD had been frozen, catching Jack as he lay on his side, head twisted into the concrete, smoke from his branding mark caught mid-air and close to his hip.

On screen, the black rope necklace with the sterling silver cross, a smaller black one sleeping on top of it was nearly out of shot and lost under Jack’s arm as he was caught mid-cry.

Gray glanced back at me. “I asked you to tell me fucking everything. Why didn’t you mention
that
?”

The thing had completely slipped my mind; put it next to everything going on in that video, it was the last fucking thing I’d thought about. Gray was suddenly by me, grabbing me in close. “Not your fault, not your fucking fault. Sorry,” he whispered heatedly in my ear before kissing at my cheek. Then he was over by his safe, sorting through it.

I needed the images to stop and went over and switched it off, just locking the images away in the inbuilt unit. “Necklace?” I mumbled. “It was just a replica of the one he wore in the Cutter videos. Vince was obsessed with everything that happened in those videos.”

Hearing the safe shut and automatically lock, I went back over to find Gray was staring down at something in his hand. He offered it over and slipped a black rope necklace into my palm. The light caught the tiny sterling balls, then the two crosses at its centre. “What?”

“He wore that the day in the alley when I caught him beating Mark Shaw’s dad.”

“The policeman he put in hospital?”

Gray nodded. “It broke during the fight. Losing it had pissed him off no end.”

“Because Cutter had bought it for him?”

Gray shook his head, just once. “Oh no,” he said quietly, and there was something very dangerous playing in his eyes. “But I know who did.” He was heading for his office door. “Come on,” he said looking back at me, and the door was open, this time Gray not even waiting for a reply.

We made it back into the reception hall to see Jack making his way down the stairs, rubbing at his head. Looking at me, he held up his hands. “’S okay, I’m just going for some breakfast.” He didn’t sound happy about it, but then he was all for Gray. “What’s going on?”

“Stay here,” Gray was already heading for the door. “You don’t speak to anyone until we get back.”

Looking at Gray, Jack came over to us. “What th’fuck did you just say?”

“I’ll explain when I get back, I promise. For now, you don’t talk to anyone.
Ray
.”

Even I jumped at Gray’s shout. A moment later, Ray came running into the hall.