In the Gray

Copyright © 2023 B.B. Reid In the Gray by B.B. Reid All rights reserved. Chief Editor: Rogena Mitchell-Jones of RMJ Manuscript Service LLC Co-editor: Colleen Snibson of Colleen Snibson Editing Cover Design by Amanda Simpson of Pixel Mischief Design Interior Design/Formatting by Champagne Book Design All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author or publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use the material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained from the author. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, are coincidental. Title Page Dedication Also by B.B. Reid Playlist Foreword Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Chapter Thirty-Seven Chapter Thirty-Eight Chapter Thirty-Nine Chapter Forty Chapter Forty-One Chapter Forty-Two Chapter Forty-Three Chapter Forty-Four Chapter Forty-Five Chapter Forty-Six Epilogue Author’s Note Also by B.B. Reid Contact the Author About B.B. Reid That’s why I called my thing The Marathon Because I, I’m not gon’ lie and portray, um, this ultimate poise Like I been had it figured out Nah, I just didn’t quit That’s the only distinguishing quality From me and probably whoever else is goin’ through this Or went through this, or is gonna go through this Is that I ain’t quit I went through every emotion I went through every emotion with tryna pursue what I’m doing You know what I mean? And I think that what, what’s gon’ separate whoever’s gon’ try to go for something is that you ain’t gon’ quit —Nipsey Hussle Broken Love Series Fear Me Fear You Fear Us Breaking Love Fearless Stolen Duet The Bandit The Knight When Rivals Play Series The Peer and the Puppet The Moth and the Flame Evermore (novella) The Punk and the Plaything Standalone Lilac The Wrong Blue Eyes (novella) In the Gray Mr. Untouchable—Nipsey Hussle Ginuwine—In Those Jeans Sure Thing—Miguel Grinding All My Life—Nipsey Hussle Family Affair—Mary J. Blige Bounce Back—Big Sean Throwed—Lil Wayne ft. Gudda Gudda Girls Need Love Remix—Drake & Summer Walker Hush—LL Cool J ft. 7 Aurelius My Little Secret—Xscape ICU—Coco Jones Wetter—Twista ft. Erika Shevon Nights Like This—Kehlani ft. Ty Dolla $ign Official Girl—Cassie ft. Lil Wayne More & More—Joe Still Not a Player—Big Punisher On Chill—Wale Ft. Jeremih What It Is (Block Boy)—Doechii ft. Kodak Black Listen to the playlist here. Dear Reider, In the Gray contains themes that some may find upsetting—including but not limited to—strong language, graphic sex, violence, suicide ideation, drug use, morally gray characters, an aggressively dominant hero, an emotionally traumatized heroine, taboo relationships, and various kinks. If you are concerned about your mental health, please check my website prior to reading for details or scan the QR code below. Happy Reading! It was still there. The old factory across the street. The red brick building loomed three stories high, dominating this tiny low-income corner of Idlewild. I’d been lingering on the sidewalk on the opposite side of Temperance Street, watching the locals come and go. The cold rain had soaked through my hair and clothes, but at least it had hidden my tears. Relieved that I hadn’t made this trip in vain, my guard lowered for a second, enough time to embrace the kernel of hope blooming in my chest at finding this once-derelict edifice still standing. A second was all it took for my mind to drift. And for the still-healing wound to rip open again and bleed my grief all over the pavement. Don’t. Lowering my gaze, I studied the faded photo in my hand once more. It was the only clue that I was at the right place. There were differences, of course. According to the date artfully written on the back in a feminine script, it had been twenty years since the photo was taken. The arched windows were no longer broken, the dead grass had been restored and shorn, the crumbling brick refortified, and the missing parts of the roof had been replaced. But it was the massive basalt statue on the front lawn that had caught my attention and confirmed I’d found it—them. Lions. Four of them. One roaring, one hunting, one searching, and one still. Carved in the black rock were three words that sent a chill down my spine. Pride of Kings. I shivered and reminded myself that it was winter, and even Mississippi was cold in January. This had to be the coldest winter I could remember in a long time. I ignored the warning creeping down my spine as I surveyed the building, searching for a way in. Of course, I could just walk through the front doors and pretend I needed my car repaired, but that wouldn’t get me close to the Kings. It probably wouldn’t even get me in the same room as them, and it wasn’t as if I could walk right up and say, “Hey, we need to talk.” Their reputation preceded them even hundreds of miles away, where their names were mentioned with the same reverence as a platinum-selling rapper or professional athlete. Except they weren’t. The Kings were four ordinary men working ordinary blue-collar jobs—or would have been if not for their outlandish moniker. My limited funds also meant paying for repairs I didn’t need wasn’t an option. How much it had cost the Kings to gut and modernize