Call Me Gray Ch. 04

The young man's control dissolved and he began to yell at Gray and make more wild gestures. "That's bullshit! Those people stole you from us and you're just going to let them get away with it because you're up for the next promotion. Damn you, Collin. You always were an ambitious hard ass. Maybe I should just shoot you."

Green's hollering brought Amanda dashing up the stairs and into the master bedroom with her own gun, a petite Kahr K9 pistol, in one hand and a wooden picture frame in the other. Her features were flushed and tear-trails marked her cheeks, yet she managed to look angry on top of her previous upset.

"Aaron?" she implored her brother for an explanation.

"I'm sorry Amanda, but he's not going to let us go. He'll just come after us, one way or another."

"I don't think he will."

"He just said he would."

Gray could have tried to play it off. He could have forced himself to relax his muscles and posture and made some dismissive gesture to make him appear non-threatening. For hell's sake, he was in his boxers, completely unarmed and barely standing. Would it have been such a difficult performance? Maybe not, yet he didn't attempt it because he wasn't sure his heart could commit to further deception

"I'm sorry Amanda," he said, concentrating fully on her. "You are my assignment. If you escape, I'll have to follow."

She looked away from him, her lips pressing tightly together for a moment before she opened them again to draw in a deep breath. Then she took a step forward, drawing Gray's attention to what she held in her hands. Besides the handgun, she had one of the picture frames they'd purchased after moving into the house. She turned it around to reveal the picture of them standing on the beach barefoot in wedding attire.

"Do you know where this picture was taken?" she asked him.

With a shake of his head, Gray said, "It wasn't. Mr. Red manufactured it at the office on his computer."

"No he didn't," Green interjected. "I gave you those pictures."

Green had been the one to bring Gray the pictures, but he had also brought him the paperwork, which had to be fraudulent because it had the names Grayson and Amanda Butler listed throughout. "You want me to believe that is a real picture?" Gray asked, once again feeling a gleam of doubt that was difficult to suppress. Having Amanda back in front of him and looking so distressed, was having a weakening effect on his resolve. His heart was strained with uncertainty about what he felt for her.

Amanda held the picture a little closer to him. "We were married in Malibu almost five years ago. Those pictures Aaron brought you were ours, hon."

After searching her features for a few long moments, he focused on the photograph, noting the locations of the beach, the water and the colors in the sky in relation to the figures. It had to be a west coast scene, but that didn't prove the picture was real.

Gray kept his tone skeptical. "Now you're telling me I'm from California?"

"No," Amanda said, shaking her head. "You're from the east coast. When you went missing, Aaron focused his search out here, hoping to get lucky."

"We never really knew exactly where you were from," Aaron admitted. "You've always been a pretty private person."

"If what you're telling me is true, and I'm not saying that it is, why and how did I end up here with this agency?" he challenged.

Aaron took an enthusiastic step forward and spoke in a frustrated tone. "That's what we wanted to know! Hell, I managed to find you, but you didn't recognize me. So, I had to play dumb, fall back, follow you around and start collecting information for Amanda. She told me to get recruited by your firm, gain their trust and access to their files. I did all that and still didn't find the crucial information we needed."

"We don't know why you're with them," Amanda added, "or how you lost your memory."

Gray backed away, feeling crowded and overwhelmed. This put him against the bed and he chose to sit down again. A Malibu wedding, pictures of another life, it was too much to process and believe when his memory couldn't support a bit of it. Part of him wanted to dismiss all of it as lies. The other part was brimming with indecision and stirring up his emotions. Could his ego allow him to accept what they were saying? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill them, suppress the doubts and return to work at the only place he remembered and felt he belonged?

Time slowed to impossibly long moments of indecision. No matter what he thought or felt on either account, the choice would eventually lead to disaster. So, the real question was if he dared to search for the truth at the probable expense of his career and safety, or if he sacrificed the only woman he remembered loving for a corner office and the title and responsibilities of an agency boss. The decision would have been hands down easier a few months ago.

Green's cell phone inconveniently chimed at that moment. He withdrew the small device from his pocket and checked the id. "It's Mr. Black," he announced and looked pointedly at Amanda. "Am I answering this?"

"He'll think something's up if you don't," Gray softly reminded him.

Amanda nodded.

Aaron activated the phone and put it to his ear. "Green."

Here was another chance for Gray to make a move. He could yell out on an open line that he needed agents at the house right now to take down two dangerous operatives. Still Gray hesitated, and not because there were now two guns in play. They had gotten to him. His mind was filling with perplexing thoughts.

"Yes Sir," Green was saying into the phone as he wandered out of the room and into the hallway to pace and listen.

Amanda wasn't watching her brother. Her stunning greens were settled on the photograph. Slowly she stepped up to the bed, turned and seated herself beside Gray in a show of her trust. "I know you're angry," she said softly, "but I had to try. I hoped you would remember."

Her body was warm against his side. She smelled good and was gorgeous despite her sorrow. Gray had to resist the need to hold and kiss her. It wouldn't have been enough to erase the turbulence within him. His heart felt torn between two commitments for which he had profound affection.

"Were we happy?" he asked, reaching past her gun, which she conveniently held way too close to him and instead took the frame from her.

She did not appear reassured by the interest his question implied. She nodded, but shrugged immediately after. "We fought a lot... about everything, almost."

That was not the answer he expected. "Why?"

"I don't know. Before we got married it was a constant witty banter. It was so natural to tease you endlessly. Even in the thick of serious missions, we would be tossing around scathing remarks and criticisms."

"Sexual tension?" he offered with a hint of a smile. Gray was being drawn in by the tale, even if he couldn't let himself whole-heartedly believe her.

"Of course," she giggled and gave a half shrug. "Aaron practically pushed us into bed together. He said he couldn't take any more of our hateful joking and suggested we find a more physical way to express our growing attraction."

"You don't seem the type to do something just because someone tells you to," Gray observed.

"You're right, of course; but his suggestion planted an idea in us, I think. We began to realize that we were using the teasing to cover up our true feelings."

"So we ended up married and things got worse?"

Her expression saddened again; and her shoulders sagged. "Yeah."

Gray kept his tone low and quizzical as he asked, "So why do you want me back?"

Something flickered in her eyes, perhaps a profound revelation, yet she chose not to share it with him. Again she shook her head. "I let myself enjoy this all too much," she admitted and looked up at the room. "We were caught up in this twisted fairytale, both of us pretending, and I didn't want it to end because it was so much better than we had in real life." Amanda shifted her gun to the left hand then reached into her front jeans pocket with the freed hand to withdraw the wedding ring. She looked at it for only a moment before pressing it into Gray's hand. "You have no idea how badly I wanted one of those, but wouldn't admit it to you back then."

"I never gave you a ring?" Gray asked with a furrowed brow.

"We spent more time on assignment than off," she explained. "A ring complicates being undercover and can also be unsafe if you have to work around machinery or are in a fist-fight. We made the logical decision to not get rings."

Now that she'd explained it, the argument made sense to him, but if she'd wanted one, surely he would have allowed it. Really Gray could only guess at what he might have done- that is if the stories she was telling him were true.

Aaron stepped back into the room. Gray craned his neck to get a view of him past Amanda. Green's posture and expression made it clear that he had something to tell them. He spoke to Amanda first. "Mr. Red is waiting for those pictures I took of you to finish your employee identification. Black wants me to get my ass to the office right away. So... are we going through with this, or what?" His gaze shifted between them, but settled on Gray this time. "We want to help you find out what happened, but if you don't want our help..."

Something Green said caught and consumed Gray's attention. He lifted the photo from his lap and focused on it. In the picture he looked the same, give-or-take a few inches of hair growth. The bride, however, looked younger and more carefree. She also wore mascara and eyeliner, which Amanda hadn't done since entering the hospital. Furthermore, since she'd already been a bit battered and bruised when Gray turned her over to Mr. White at the agency for interrogation the first night, this led Gray to the conclusion that Mr. Red could not have fabricated this picture or any other in the house- simply because he'd never possessed decent, workable photographs of Amanda.

Amanda leaned closer, pressing against his arm. "Gray?"

"This picture is real," he said with awed conviction. He wasn't sure if the emerging emotion in his middle was some form of joy or fear with this revelation.

"I told you so," Green said. "We wouldn't lie to you man; you're family."

Amanda rested her head on his shoulder, giving him time to process before pressing the issue. "What do you want us to do, hon?"

It took time for Gray to switch gears and put the agency back at the forefront of his mind. Surprisingly, he found himself thinking of the individual agents, his relationship with each and what this revelation could mean about them. Black was the closest thing Gray had to a mentor. Gold was the strong and silent partner. White was always cool and calm. Brown, convinced of his own brilliance, was by far Gray's least favorite person in the office. Gray's thoughts continued through the rest of the staff as well. Most of them were pleasant and professional, but he wondered who at the firm would know about his past and why he was with them.

"Take Mr. Red his pictures," he said decisively. "We're going to try this, but with great care."

"You got it," Green said, flashing a grin and heading for the door. He stopped suddenly in the hallway and backtracked. "Are you two going to be alright? You need anything?"

Amanda got up, moving to meet with him at the door. "I think we'll be fine. See you tomorrow at the office." She gave him a peck on the cheek and waited in the doorway until he was down the stairs and letting himself out the front. Then, turning back to look at Gray she asked tentatively, "We are fine, right?" She placed the Kahr K9 on top of the dresser and left it there as she strode gracefully back to the bed and Gray's side.

He continued to stare at the picture, no longer trying to visually break it down into shapes and shadows. "We look happy," he said after more consideration. "How long had we been working together?"

"You worked solo missions for my father for two years before we partnered up. We were together over a year when you asked me to marry you. The ceremony followed a few weeks after that. Things were crazy back then. The options were either wed quickly or have a prolonged engagement."

There were so many things Gray wanted to ask her, but he didn't know if there was much capacity left in his brain to take in more facts. Thankfully, the effects of the injection she'd given him were slowly wearing off.

Amanda reached down to empty his hands of the picture frame, which she set on the bedspread. This left Gray looking down at the ring in his palm. He gently set the ring on the frame's glass.

"Sweetheart, you must feel terrible," she said, giving him a quick once over. "I'm sure you need something to help clear your head. We kept you out a long time. Come on," Amanda prodded him, taking his arm to assist him in standing. "You're going to have a hot soothing bath and anything you want to eat."

He let her help him up, though he'd managed it earlier without assistance. They walked together across the room, past the rocking chair and into the bathroom where Gray fought off apprehension again. This is where they'd been when he realized Amanda was faking the amnesia. He looked at Green's flowers in their plastic cup and back at Amanda as she seated herself on the side of the large tub to start the water running. Her dark brown ponytail hung long down her front as she concentrated on adjusting the taps to get just the right combination. Gray leaned back against the counter and traced her curves appreciatively with his eyes.

"Hey Mr. Gray... can you snap out of it long enough to slip out of those boxers and into this bath?"

"No kisses this time?" he asked exaggerating his disappointment.

Amanda stood and eased up against him. Her expression was playful and seductive. "Well, I suppose if that is what it takes to get you naked." Familiar scratching at his hips drew his gaze down to her hands that had infiltrated his boxers. She sure was a talented sneak.

Gray kissed her mouth, starting slow and building with passion. Her breath was sweet with mint, mixing with the lavender scent of her hair as he began to draw in any sensual stimuli he could from her form. The suppleness of her lips and breasts were accentuated by the strength of her tongue wrestling eagerly with his and her demanding hands and fingers digging into the meat of his butt cheeks. Gray was beyond content. He couldn't imagine anything more perfect than to be at her mercy the rest of his days.

"Hold that thought," Amanda whispered in his ear and quickly withdrew. The suddenly empty space in front of Gray filled with warmth from the running bath water heating the room. Amanda shut off the tap. The tub was just shy of being too full- thanks to Amanda's split attentions. Gray would have let it run over rather than break the connection with her. "In you go."

The boxers were removed and abandoned on the rug. Gray stepped into the water, finding it to be very hot at first, but not uncomfortably so. He eased down, enjoying the cloaking warmth around his submerged parts. "That feels so good," he groaned.

Amanda was pleased. "What do you want to eat? Certainly you need something fairly substantial," she said, picking at a spot of dried paint on his arm.

"Anything I want?"

"Of course."

"Then I want pineapple chicken and chow mein from Lee Ping's," Gray said without missing a beat. "They won't deliver out here though. We'll have to go out."

Amanda's features were broadcasting her apprehension to his request. She gently pressed her thumb against his bruised forehead. "Hon, you've had quite a weekend; are you sure you want to go out?"

"Yes," Gray stated firmly. "You said I could have whatever I wanted."

"I did," she relented.

Amanda unhooked the bath poof hanging off the mounted soap dish, dunked it into the water and applied unscented body wash to the upright side. "Lean forward. I'll do your back."

Gray obeyed. He was more than capable of bathing himself, but the feel of the mesh ball scrubbing against his sensitive skin was well worth any momentary loss of independence. When she finished, he laid back in the water, letting it saturate his hair before sitting back up and reaching for his shampoo. He chose not to use the scented stuff like Amanda preferred.

"Are you really ok with all this?" Amanda asked. She was kneeling beside the tub with her arms crossed and resting on the edge. Gray lathered and rinsed his hair as he considered the question. He wasn't really sure of his own feelings and motives. The only sure thing about any of this was that he was glad to be with her.

He wiped at the water running down his face. "You think I'm faking? Playing along until I find my opening?"

"I want things to be right with us, but you're far too clever; and I wouldn't blame you for wanting to get back at me for my deception and drugging you."

"Amanda... if you and Aaron are really who you say you are, there won't be anything to worry about from me. I'm very good at finding out the truth of things." Gray knew that he still sounded skeptical, but to give in completely would only show that he was truly compromised by the events of the last few months. "I'll spear-head this investigation within the agency. You and Aaron will help run diversion."

She nodded and smiled approvingly. "I'm sure I can be very distracting- especially so for Dr. Brown."

Gray didn't try to hide his smirk. "Saw right through him, did you?"

"More or less. I have no doubt he is a real doctor, but he's an exceptionally poor actor. I could tell he was attracted to me no matter how professional he tried to act."

Her insight made Gray chuckle. Oh, how he adored her keenness and wit. "Think you can handle seeing everyone at the office on Monday? I mean, I'm not planning to take you around, but people are likely to be curious."

"Aaron has told me quite a bit about the team." She reached out to smooth his wet tangles with her slender fingers. "I'm not all that intimidated."

"What about Mr. White?"

Her features paled. "I will cope," she said with forced determination. "I'm sure you both will keep him away from me as much as possible."

Of course Gray would guard her from White. Like Brown, Mr. White had shown an eerie attraction to Amanda because she proved a challenging subject to interrogate, being so strong and steel-minded. He gripped her hand, pulling it from his dripping hair to his lips for a soft kiss. "Everyone will think they have the advantage over you, but it will be you who has the advantage." He hoped she found his words comforting. There really was a vulnerable side to her; it hadn't all been an act. She was smiling, trying to look reassured for his sake.

A few hours later, Gray and Amanda arrived back at the house from their lunch-date to Lee Ping's Fine Chinese Restaurant. Over steaming plates of pineapple chicken, chow mein and white rice, they'd talked about their life back in Los Angeles where Amanda's family-run agency was located. She'd told him minor details about some of their missions and a lot about her father, whose personality reminded Gray of Mr. Black. Also, he'd been surprised to hear as they rolled up the driveway to the house, that her step-mother, Aaron's mom, was an acting operative for their firm.

"You've met my stepmother, by-the-way," Amanda said as they climbed out of the car. She waited for Gray to come around then walked with him to the door.

"Where?"

"Pinewood. She took over the desk at admissions to keep an eye on me while I was there."

Gray unlocked the door, thinking back to the warm, motherly woman that he'd greeted each morning when arriving at the hospital. She wasn't that much older than he was, he figured. "Very well played," he said. "I never suspected her of being more than what she outwardly showed."