***Grey's POV***

My heart races frantically. Mak spasms in Mario's huge arms. Kip has the door to the SUV openened before Mario shoves his own body inside, Mak held tightly in his arms. Mark and I slip in the back and Dad sits in the passenger's seat. Kip was flooring it as we close the doors.

"What the actual fuck?" Mark groans.

My hands won't stop shaking. My pulse is painfully throbbing against the veins in my temples. I am in full fledged panic mode. Mario rubs his fingers thru my boyfriend's hair. He whispers soothing words.

I try to focus on the words to calm the raging inferno of fear in my mind.

"Son, has he ever had a seizure?" Martin asks.

"He never mentioned it." I shake my head in confirmation.

The hospital is too far away. It takes ten minutes for us to roll up to the emergency room. Nurses quickly remove Mak from Mario's capable arms. The swinging doors slam between the love of my life and our party of well built men.

I sink to my knees. My hands lace in my hair. My scream fills the air. I try to muffle it inside my own chest. Tears pool in my eyes. I'm losing it. My sanity is snapping.

My dad's burly arms wrap around me as he falls to the ground beside me. He pulls me into his lap and cradles me. He rocks me back and forth.

"He's going to be fine. Calm down boy. He will be okay." My dad tries to sooth me with his words.

I whimper into his chest. His hand pets my hair and I practice breathing. Mark rubs my back and kisses my temple.

"Grey. Everything will be okay. I'm sure it's just stress." Mark whispers into my ear.

I know what they are saying should make sense. But, seeing my angel violently thrashing undid me. The image of Mak's eyes rolling, the whites dancing with no sign of the gorgeous hazel, made my stomach lurch. In the most disgusting display of nerves, I bolt outside of the emergency room doors. My mouth opens and my food spills from the center of my stomach.

"Fuck!" I hear Kip yell before his own food expels beside me.

I couldn't help the maniacal laugh that bubbles up my throat.

"Pussy." I whisper.

"You're one to talk. That shit looks like a scene from The Exorcist." Kip laughs as he wipes the back of his hand over his mouth.

Two bottles of opened water push into are hands. I tilt my head back and guzzle down the cold fluid. Instantly my mouth feels less disgusting. I gargle some before spitting it out. I use the rest of the bottle to half ass clean the grass in front of the hospital.

"If you two are done with your science presentation, we should go back inside." My Dad laughs, rubbing my back as I head back into the waiting area.

We don't wait long. A nurse walks us back to a room where my beautiful boyfriend lays. Wires are connected to his chest, his temples and his fingers. A line is running from his elbow to the bag of fluids that drips into his veins.

"We will run an MRI, CT Scan, blood tests and an EEG to be safe. But, I believe stress will be the underlying cause. Mr. Oliver's blood pressure is higher than average. His pulse is racing. His breathing is labored. All signs point to panic." The doctor informs us.

Mak lies on the hospital bed, completely incoherent.

"His body is in shock. He will wake after he calms down. This is a defensive mechanism. He will be fine." The nurse explains.

The words calm my frayed nerves. I glance between our entourage and the still body of my love. Tears sting my eyes. I lay my own hand upon Mak's hand. My fingers lightly squeeze. His hand remains still.

"I recommend going down to the cafeteria. He will be taken for tests shortly. Come back up in about an hour. He may be awake." The nurse instructs.

We silently make our way to the door. My heart tugs as my feet move further away from my baby. I rush back and kiss his lips softly before following my dad to the cafeteria. We sit at the small tables with coffee. My head throbs as I let it fall into my hands. My fists scrub at my tired eyes.

"Okay. Apparently the trigger here is Carl Maxwell." Mario whispers. Just the sound of that tainted man's name makes my blood boil.

"Run a list of everyone of his victims. Delve into his closest relationships. There is obviously a connection to Mak. Remember you are looking for Jackson Jenkins." My dad instructs.

My eyes go wide at the realization. His words click and I freeze at the thought that the bastard touched my companion.

"Do you think Mak was his victim?" I tremble as the words hit the still air.

"It's likely." My dad confirms. His head nods. My stomach coils at the thought.

"I will kill him." I bark. Rage rolls off me in waves.

"You won't have to." Mark glares and the look sends a spine tingling ripple of promise up my spine.

"Oh fuck! They pissed off the wrong family." Kip chuckles.

My fingers dig into my palms. The knuckles turn white and I feel the wet presence of broken flesh.

Mark unclamps my fingers individually on my right hand. My dad works on the left. A napkin is pressed into both my bleeding hands.

"Save that for the party." Dad laughs, patting my hands softly.

"Let's confirm our suspicions. Maybe Mak will be able to tell us for sure. I still want that information." My Dad demands.

"It's already being done." Kip confirms.

An hour passed and we discard our paper coffee cups. We walk back to the elevators. We ascend back to Mak's room. As promised, we walk into the room and Mak's greeting breaks the air of silence.

"Grey." He whispers. A small smile plays on his lips. My heart skips a beat and I rush to his side. I kiss him gently.

"Baby." I breathe out.

"I'm sorry I scared you." Mak starts. I shush him with a finger over his lips.

"Mak we need answers." Martin digs in immediately.

"Carl." Mak whimpers.

"We gathered that. What about him?" Mark urges.

Mak's eyes fill with tears. He looks to the ceiling, his head dropped back onto the pillow. His eyelashes beat repeatedly as he wills away the oncoming tears.

Mak takes a gulp of air and his fingers curl into fists. He slams them down on the soft bed before he shakes his head aggressively.

"He. Um. He. Grey." Mak chokes on a sob. Tears race to the finish line, depositing themselves on his hospital gown. My hands wrap in his hair as I pull his face to my chest. My throat tightens and I swallow the thick sob threatening to escape.

"It's okay baby. I'm right here." I whisper to my beloved. His wet emotions saturate my white dress shirt. I slowly rock his head back and forth in my arms. I reach down and pull his lips softly to my own in a reassuring touch.

Mak looks thru his lashes at me. His hazel orbs show fear, disgust and anguish. My heart cinches. My baby is worried about too much.

"He was um, a friend of, um my parents. He, often would come to the house. Sometimes my parents weren't home." Mak started. His voice sounded strained. His tears constantly flowing down his precious face. I used my thumbs to wipe them away as fast as they appeared.

"One day, they weren't there." Mak pauses. He inhales deeply before he begins again. "He followed me in the bathroom and blocked the door. I couldn't fight him. I was only 12. He was so much larger than me."

His hands grip my shirt in iron strength. He begs me with his eyes. I'm not even sure what he needs.

Mak swallows harshly before he continues. "He pinned me to the wall and forced me to my, um my knees. His hands were tearing my hair from my head. He shoved his dick in my mouth and came down my throat."

Mak turns to the side and throws up right by my feet. His heart monitor beeps and his breathing becomes erratic. The loud slamming of a door alerts us of a new presence and a few that are no longer here. Mark looks helplessly at me. The nurses come to calm down Mak. I step to the side.

Bile and anger raise in my throat. Anger wins and I slam my fist into the wall. Mark wraps his arms around me and wrestled me out of the room.

"Calm the fuck down Greyson. You can't put more stress on him." Mark growls.

My dad's large arms wrap around me. I can't tell which of us is shaking more. My body is on fire. The need to rip that mother fucker's dick off and choke him to death with it fills me.

"I want fucking blood." I roar.

Nurses stop and stare. I don't give a flying fuck. No one hurts a child. No one hurts my love.

"Greyson. Parker." My dad sternly addresses me.

"Son, I promise you. That son of a bitch won't get away with it. Right now, though, you have a terrified boyfriend who needs us to keep him calm. So, you're going to do just that. Get it together. Now!" My Dad demands.

He's right. It changes nothing of the rage boiling below my skin. However, Mak is and always will be my main concern.

A bottle of water and a breath later, I head back into the room. I climb in the bed beside Mak and wrap my arms around him. I pull him as close as possible and run my fingers thru his beautiful chocolate strands.

"He will pay, baby. Just let us worry about that. You get better." I whisper.

We are finally released to take Mak home early in the morning hours. I had stayed in the bed holding him. Nothing feels better than holding that angel in my arms.

My father had us all stay at his home. I laid in my old room with Mak safety nestled against my chest. The Xanax and Ambien has him knocked out cold. I spend the majority of the nite watching his stunning face as he sleeps.

My fingers dance across his skin. My lips brush his temple, nose, cheeks and lips multiple times. I snuggle myself into his neck. The slow steady thump of his heart eventually lulls me to sleep.

When my a dad wakes me the next morning, I am startled by the presence of our entourage. They all admit to having slept in the room with us. The evidence was four chairs lining the bedroom walls.

My father laid his pistol on the dresser. He looked at me and smiled like The Devil, before he lost his golden fiddle.

"Grey, why don't you get that precious gem of yours awake. Breakfast will be served in thirty minutes. We are going to have a nice family meal with no talk of vermin." My dad instructs me. They all leave, my dad left his gun on the dresser. It was a silent order to carry it on my body.

I start a shower for Mak and myself. I rose him gently with a couple well placed kisses. He sleepily follows me toward the bathroom. I strip him bare and carry him under the water his body was held up by my own. I bathe him. Once we finish I towel us off and dress each of us.

We sit at the dining table to a buffet of biscuits with sausage gravy, bacon, eggs, French toast, grits, toast and cinnamon rolls. Mak eats like a starving man. I smile and eat in much the same manner. Emptying our stomach contents the day before left us ravenous.

Nothing is mentioned of the war on Carl. We smile, laugh and pretend that everything is fine. The inferno slowly rages under the surface. This isn't over. No. It is only just beginning.