Finished (Auctioned)

“Will do. Thanks, man.” Gray eyed the little box and couldn’t wait to try it out.

On the way to Darius and Jayden, Gray got stuck at the end of an aisle where he spotted a display with stickers for target practice. Justin ran ahead, yelling that he wanted to show Daddy something, and Gray grabbed one of the packets of stickers. Neon yellow ought to be visible, yeah? He and Darius had made loose plans for their own little shooting range, and when Gray had asked if that was legal, Darius had just laughed and kissed him on the forehead.

The more Gray looked at the different items on the display, the stronger his urge to become more involved in this hobby became. Part of it was because he missed being active in a sport. He’d played hockey for as long as he could stand on a pair of skates, and though he didn’t miss playing personally, quitting hockey had left a void. Maybe sport shooting could be for him. Darius had told him a little about IPSC, and Gray knew they had at least two clubs right here in town.

Darius would certainly approve of it. Not that he had anything against hockey whatsoever—quite the opposite; he just had a bigger hard-on for sports he deemed practical.

“Excuse me, are you Gray Nolan?”

Gray glanced over his shoulder and frowned at the guy standing there. “Who’s askin’?”

The preppy-looking guy stopped, clutching the strap to his messenger bag, and extended a hand. “I’m Josh Wilkes. I’m a freelancer writing a piece on human trafficking, and I’m wondering if—”

“No.” Gray became on edge, not to mention irritated as fuck, and faced the motherfucker head on. “The answer is no. Just leave me alone.”

“But—”

“Are you fucking deaf?” Gray clenched his jaw and took a step closer. His pulse remained steady, but he was prepared to kick things up a notch if necessary. More than that would just make the guy piss himself.

Josh backed off a little and fumbled his way through an apology. He said he was genuinely sorry, and Gray felt the need to interrupt again.

“You’re not sorry at all,” he stated. “You came all the way here for a story to sell—and you must’ve followed me—knowing full well what we’ve been through, because it’s all they talk about on the news lately. Where are you even from?” He jerked his chin at the LA Kings logo on the guy’s bag.

Josh swallowed nervously and flicked a quick glance at his bag. “I, uh, I currently live in Portland.”

“Portland.” Gray smiled thinly. “I suggest you go back to Portland, Josh. Right now.” His stare didn’t waver for a second, and it was a heady feeling. To have the ability to eliminate a threat and choose not to even hint at it. He didn’t need to. Josh seemingly shrank in size and muttered another apology before he hurried out of there.

Gray let out a breath and glanced around himself, wanting to make sure he didn’t have an audience.

It was the first time he’d been approached like that. It’d happened to Niko outside the restaurant a couple days ago.

Gray shook it off. It likely wasn’t the last time it would happen, and he wasn’t gonna let it get to him.

After picking a few packets of stickers for target practice, he walked down the aisles until he reached Darius, Jayden, and Justin.

“I runned faster than you,” Justin laughed. He was sitting right there on the floor next to their basket.

“Because Daddy’s old and tired.” Gray winked and dropped his items into the basket.

His comment caused Darius to look over at him with a raised brow, to which Gray puckered his lips.

“You guys finding anything?” he asked next.

Jayden was eager to answer, and he snatched something from a slot on the shelves. “I asked if I could put together my own survival kit like the one we have in the car, and he said he could never say no to that.” He grinned.

Darius looked on with a smile, and Gray felt confident enough to push Jayden a bit. As long as he kept things light.

“He said that, huh? I think he sounds like a great dad.” Gray pulled Jayden in for a squeeze and didn’t let the boy squirm away so quickly.

“Ohhh, you know what I mean!” Jayden complained.

“I do, and I think you’re incredibly cute.” Gray dipped down and gave Jayden’s cheek a loud smooch. It was enough to add some amusement into the boy’s mix of embarrassment and discomfort. “Show me your survival kit.”

Jayden huffed and wrestled himself free. “I can say one thing. Parents are fucking embarrassing!”

While Darius barked out a loud laugh, Gray was stunned at the outburst. Until he let the mention of parents seep in and wrap a warm blanket around his heart. And he kind of melted. Jayden was at a pretty sensitive age, and this was how he expressed himself. The boy who’d once literally stabbed Darius in the leg to protect Gray was always going to be a little rough around the edges, and they didn’t want him any other way.