Page 150 of Seeing Grayscale

“Did we ruin it, though?” Xavier cocks his head. “Or relieve you of dead weight?”

I take a breath, and go to scratch at my beard, but hit smooth skin. Right. I shaved. “The man in those photos. Grayson Parker. He’s your lover?”

I glare at Grant. “None of your fucking business.”

“He’s a felon.”

“I said,” I step up to him, “it’s none of your fucking business.”

Xavier straightens. “It is our business because there’s surveillance footage of him robbing a gas station the night before last.”

“What?”

“Up by Old Barrel diner.”

Grant nods. “Xavier knows the sheriff on the case. They’re looking for him. But one word from Xavier, onefavor, and that goes away. As it stands now, Grayson has a warrant for his arrest for breaking his parole. Since this isn’t his first offense, he could go away for years.”

Slander.

Bribery.

Blackmail.

It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, blue or red, democrat or republican, all politicians are the same. All of them. And to think I was going to give up everything to become one of these pricks. To do this shit for the rest of my life.

I hate how they are using me to get their way, and I can’t stand that I’m even considering it for a second, but I have no one else to turn to. OAT isn’t my dream, but it provides me a steadysalary, and I’m not the only one relying on good management to keep it afloat.

Alex depends on it. All the other employees.

Even if OAT wasn’t on the table, the fact that they’re offering to help Gray and remove my dad from running for Senate is enough to have me blowing out a breath in defeat.

“You’ll get the sheriff to look the other way? Erase the warrant?”

Xavier examines his cuticles. “I can.”

“But will you?”

A slow drag of his eyes up to mine. “I will.”

"The man who assaulted Gray. He works for you. Dan is his name. He and hisfriendsneed to be taken off the street."

Xavier clicks his tongue. "I'm aware."

"Do something about it then," I snap. My mind is racing with everything that needs to be handled, so I keep going. “And my father? What will happen to him?”

Grant threads his fingers together. “We will anonymously leak the drive to the media with everything about you and Gray removed. When I make my statement, after this information hits the air, I expect you to be by my side. After it all settles…we can go our separate ways.”

“You want me to publicly disown my dad, is what you’re asking of me.”

Grant nods. “Exactly. Like I said before—the prodigal son.”

“What about my mother? She…she isn’t involved in his problems.”

The two men exchange a glance. “Her abortion is in the file. We can remove it.”

“Youwillremove it,” I counter.

Xavier grunts, then nods. “Of course. Do we have a deal, then?"

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