Gray's Shadow (Kings of Hell MC 4)

The damp scent of the cellar penetrated Gray’s nose as he carefully descended the stairs, plagued by visions of his uncertain future. He doubted his brothers would wish him dead, even if he betrayed their trust by taking the ruby, but they were likely to cast him out—not only from the clubhouse, but also from Brecon. Gray would be removed from the only life he’d known, forbidden even from visiting Mike’s grave.

Could he cope with that?

But as apprehensive as he was, he still walked on, all the way to the door that now housed the workshop and pressed his thumb against the lock, so that it confirmed his papillary lines.

One last doubt came in the form of a question: How would the club survive if they couldn’t depend on each other? But Beast had already proven they didn’t all think about other patches’ interest before their own, and Gray refused to be the club martyr any longer.

He entered with confidence, set to go straight for the safe, but his foot hovered over the floor when his gaze settled on Rev. Snoring on a cot by the wall, his heavy body threatened to crack the flimsy piece of temporary furniture.

Gray needed to remind himself to breathe. His father hated Shadow and would do anything to stop him from living any longer. He would be happy if Gray couldn’t find any gems for Shadow. Pat Gray on the back. Say that someone better would come along, as if Shadow could ever be replaced.

If Gray was to take that ruby, he needed to leave unseen. He could worry about consequences tomorrow.

He didn’t have to be particularly stealthy for this task, but he didn’t want to miss this opportunity over something dumb, so as he passed Rev, he grabbed his old man’s phone and turned it off, so that it didn’t unexpectedly make a sound.

It wasn’t a large space, so he reached the safe in just a few broad steps and instantly started opening the lock with his sweaty fingers. Not all of the patched members knew the code to the thing, but Gray had assisted his father at work often enough to know it by heart. Not the date of Gray’s and Mike’s birth, not even the date the club had been established. It was the date of the battle of Gettysburg. Easy to remember once you knew.

Mindful of Rev sleeping just a few paces away, Gray remained as silent as humanly possible, using his phone as light source. He pressed the keys slowly, so that they wouldn’t make that metallic clicking noise. His breath was shallow, but he made sure to keep it level and focus on what was in front of him instead of the danger beyond his back. Keeping balance without the arm he was so used to by now was a struggle, so he ended up on his knees and holding his phone with his teeth.

His heart skipped a beat when the lock clicked, creating the tiniest tremble against his hand, but he didn’t wait and immediately opened the door. Inside the safe lay several cases of gems and jewelry, but Gray went straight for the biggest box, his fingers so tense he feared they would crack loudly enough to wake up the dragon sleeping nearby. But his shoulders relaxed when he opened the box, and the large pink and red stone glinted back at him in the pale light of the cell phone.

Its radiant color was so intense the gem’s name, Pigeon Heart, made perfect sense, and when Gray picked it up from the velvet cushion, he could just about feel it throb with the life if would give Shadow. Not that long ago, he’d have only thought about money when handling a beautiful piece like this one, but now he was dealing with the one magical potion to heal his lover and keep him radiant forever.

Very slowly, Gray shut the safe and rose, keeping the ruby in his tight fist. It felt like holding not only his own fate but also the fate of the entire world—the same world he was about to throw under the bus for a few more months or years with a man he’d only met a few weeks ago. He barely recognized his own actions, and for the briefest moment his mind lit up with fear that maybe the happiness filling his heart had been caused by the most elaborate of lies. That maybe this had been Baal’s plan all along. The thought sent a shiver of panic through his body, but the distraction had more dire consequences.

The unmistakable click of the safety trumped over any doubts he might have had. Rev, his own father, was pointing a gun at him from the cot.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

In the eerie light coming from his phone screen, Gray spotted the shadow of the firearm first—a sharp presence on the background of the white wall—but as he rose and turned around to face the danger, the barrel was pointed at his chest.