Des didn't know that. They'd talked about many things, like his growing up and being adopted by the Romanos, not remembering his birth parents. What he wanted in the future, but funny enough, education was one topic they’d never broached.
"He's the reason I chose that school. He even paid my tuition with the stipulation that I work for him in the end."
Des gasped at the horror that Othello could do that.
"Don't," Gray said. "Get that look off your face. I wanted to work for him. In fact, I begged him. But he told me I had to get an education first." Gray smiled as if recalling a moment in time. "I wanted to be useful to him, so I chose criminal justice. I figured if he had a guy on the inside, I'd be able to watch his back."
"You—you work for Othello?" Des asked, feeling the need for another drink. He hadn't expected that the man he’d known as his best friend for so many years was a double agent.
"Yes, but it was a secret between him and me. Now you, and until things are settled, it has to stay that way."
"So the night I introduced you to each other...he lied to me," Des shouted, getting off the couch. "You lied to me!"
"Yes," Gray answered. "But we had no other choice."
"Why tell me now, then?" Des asked.
"Because things have changed for him and me," Gray responded.
"Wait, are you in love with Othello?" he asked in shock, pouring another drink.
"For fuck's sake," Gray grumbled. "Maybe you shouldn't drink anymore. I'm not in love with him. I admire Othello, and it's one reason I wanted to work for him."
Des smiled after downing his shot. "He has that effect on people."
"You know, I thought you'd be angry to find out I work for your lover," Gray said.
"Can I still call him my lover?"
"Of course you can, but you won't be seeing him for a while," Gray said.
"I don't know why I'm not mad, okay?" Des huffed and flopped back on the sofa. "Maybe it's because you plied me with alcohol before telling me everything. Hell, I’m not even mad at Othello for all the mean things he said to me today. I get how that kiss looked. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t have trusted my words either. He’s been burned by love before, making it hard for him to trust again."
"He loves you, you know," Gray said.
"I love him too." Des stood. "I need to see him."
"You can't." Gray grabbed his arm and pulled him roughly back to the sofa.
"Why?" he growled angrily.
"Fuck, didn't you hear me? I said you can't see him yet. Things are hectic in his world right now, and as much as you and I want to be by his side, we can't."
Des stared at Gray, and for the first time, he saw worry etched in his friend's eyes. "What's going on, Gray? What's happening to Othello?"
"I wish I could tell you, Des, but it might put you in more danger. Othello is about to enter a dark place neither you nor I can reach. All we can do is stay out of it."
"I can't," Des said, standing again and heading to the door, but Gray got to him before he got far.
"Don't be stupid," he shouted at him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Othello won't hurt me," Des argued.
"But they will use you to hurt him!" Gray yelled, releasing Des. "Fuck, fuck!" he cursed, dragging his fingers in his hair as he paced the length of the couch.
Des had never seen Gray so angry in all the years they had been friends.
"I told him to send you out of town before shit hit the fan, but he wouldn't listen. You two were so caught up in each other you didn't even know people were plotting against you both. And he thinks he's fucking invincible, but he's not!"
