Born, Darkly (Darkly, Madly 1)

“You’re an animal,” I say.

A smile kicks up the corner of his mouth. “Takes one to know one, baby.”

The door of the ER room opens.

I’m spun around and pulled against Grayson’s chest. I feel the press of the steel barrel under my chin. I’m shaking, but the gun forces my head high, and I refuse to let fear show on my face.

“Drop the weapon!” the officer shouts.

Grayson doesn’t obey. He digs the barrel deeper, holding me in place. “I doubt I have more to lose than you, so don’t be a hero for minimum wage, officer. I will kill this woman here, then I will fire off shots until the clip is empty, taking out as many people as possible before I go down.” The cop holds his aim on Grayson. “Now, shut the door and lower your gun.”

After a tense standoff, the officer closes the room door. He keeps his weapon trained on Grayson and me for another few seconds, then sets it on the floor.

“Slide it over,” Grayson orders.

The cop does so reluctantly. “Backup will be here shortly,” he tries to assure me.

Grayson nudges my back. “Strip the cop,” he says. “Pants and shirt. Now.”

I bite my lip as I lower myself toward the unconscious man, then slowly pull off his shoes. My gaze snags the gun on the floor, but Grayson confiscates it first. He uses the officer’s handcuffs to lock him to the bedrail before he knocks him over the head with the gun.

I curse, knowing that it’s now—right now. I have to escape. He’s completely unhinged.

I grunt as I tug the pants down the man’s legs. “If you kill me, then you’ll never truly have your revenge. You can’t destroy a dead person.”

Grayson grabs the nape of my neck and hauls me up, bringing me close. “I wish you would’ve talked this dirty during our sessions.”

Anger spikes my blood, fueling a rush of adrenaline. I try to knee him, but he’s there to block my attempt. He groans and grips my hair tighter. I spot a syringe on the tray and spring for it, ignoring the pain it costs me to break out of his grasp. I hear the tear of my hair giving way.

I have the needle in shaky hands, aimed at his neck. “I will shred your jugular before you squeeze that trigger, I swear to God.”

He watches me intently, his teeth capture his lip to restrain a smile. “And I know just how good you are at that. I’m looking forward to more play time later,” he says, then his hand covers mine, forcing my arm back until I drop the needle. “But right now, I just want you to relax.”

I’m breathing hard. “Do it fast.”

“All right.” He grips my face and backs me against the wall. My heart lurches into my throat as his gaze darkens. Then his mouth closes over mine, the kiss stealing what’s left of my breath. He pulls away with a gleam in his eyes. “But I’m not taking your life.”

“What the fuck do you want, then?”

He finishes removing the officer’s clothes and dresses hurriedly. He slides on the uniform pants and belt, then throws off the hospital gown before slipping a white T-shirt over his head. I spy the ink on his back and curse. I inch backward toward the door, but he notices my retreat.

I stop.

“You assume I want to kill you because of what you did to me,” he says as he snatches the cop’s radio and clips it to his belt. “But that’s just your gui

lt. You’ve trained yourself to feel it in order to blend.” He spits the word at me. “Let go of it. It gets in your way. I would’ve done the same to you.”

He grabs my purse and digs out my phone. He drops the phone and stomps on it, then places my bag over my shoulder. “Do you need your glasses to see?”

I squint. “I have an astigmatism. So, yes…and no.”

He removes my glasses and places them in my bag. He then turns my back to his chest and presses the barrel of the gun to my head.

“Fuck. Grayson, what the hell do you want from me?”

“Be a good hostage and open the door.”

Through the adrenaline, I make the connection. It slides together like a puzzle piece snapping in place. And I’m the piece of the puzzle that he’s shaped to secure his freedom.