Page 205 of BounBound By Scars

Before anyone could speak, the receptionist, Greta, timidly poked her head in, offering beverages to the uninvited guests.

“Anyone want coffee or tea?” she asked hesitantly, probably wondering if serving caffeine to contract killers was a wise decision.

“Greta, could you give us a few—”

Sebastian’s dismissal was snapped short by Bee’s chirp. “I’ll have coffee.”

She removed her mask quickly—an action both Sevy and Gray followed. But not Vic.

Gray looked familiar, like I had clocked him at a certain point but couldn’t figure out where.

The receptionist smiled hesitantly and handed her a cup like she was offering a feral animal a treat. Bee took a sip, and the way her eyes fluttered shut, letting out a little sigh.

She was drinking it like it was goddamn nectar from the heavens.

Then, without a word, she turned to Sevy and silently held out the cup. Sevy, who had been stone-faced this whole time, took a sip… then gave a slow, approving nod.

We were visibly vibrating with tension, barely holding back our rage, and this was what these lunatics were doing? Sampling the office coffee like it was fine wine?

The silence was unbearable. Their behavior? Infuriating.

Then Bee’s eyes lit up like she’d just remembered Christmas.

“Do that thing, Gray!”

Gray glanced at her with the world’s most bored smirk.

She ran a jerky hand over her buzzed head, still grinning. “Do that thing.Do that thing. Do that thing!”

Her chant was jarring.

But of course, that’s when Gray finally decided to open his mouth.

“Question.” He looked squarely at Zarek. “You seriously never wondered why your throats weren’t slit in your sleep in those safe houses?”

Zarek didn’t flinch, but I saw the subtle shift in his stance. His shoulders tensed, his spine locked up.

Sebastian, however? He pressed his lips together, looking down, trying so fucking hard not to laugh.

Logan noticed instantly and shot him a sharp glare.

Bee, still cradling her precious cup of coffee, snorted like she found this entire situation amusing. Logan turned his glare on her, but she ignored him completely. Instead, she wandered over to Gray and held up the cup, a silent “You have to try this.”

Gray… fucking took it. Sipped. And continued destroying us like nothing happened. “Ever realize how Gunner, here, survived the Warehouse 67 explosion?”

He handed back the cup to Bee without a word.

Logan’s eyes narrowed as if trying to remember the day he was blown up during Operation Icarus.

Sebastian was still struggling, like a man trying not to laugh at a funeral. Gray’s lips quirked up slightly as he noticed Seb.

So, he turned to him then, like a lion sniffing out an easy kill.

“Oh, you think Gunner and Healer made it out of Ravenrock alive because of you, Ranger?” A pause. Then, with a smirk, “Cute.”

That did it.

Bee fucking cackled. A full-on, manic, unhinged laugh that echoed through the room, making the whole thing so much worse.

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