But the filthy cinder blocks in front of him held their own vile secrets. At least this one didn’t have a smear of vomit caked on the wall like the last one. He’d spent plenty of time in rooms like this. The buzzing from the decades-old fluorescent lights overhead was the only sound other than the steady plop, plop, which he was trying to ignore.

Danny tapped the ash from his cigarette, eyes skipping over the red puddle spreading at his feet. He still hadn’t decided if the broken one on the edge should count as two. He’d already worked his way through an entire pack of cigarettes and counted the aged ceiling tiles three times. He’d kept it at bay, just on the edge of his consciousness, by concentrating on filling his lungs with smoke. That always happened when he was in pain, the shakes starting almost as soon as his body registered the hurt. Eighty-five… or shit, was it ninety-five? Son of a bitch! One, two, three… Danny Butler was bored. Don’t even want to fucking know what that was. Shades of Gray | 1 E IGHTY-TWO, eighty-three, eighty-four. and For Holly, who has been along for the ride from the very beginning. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 ISBN: 978-1-61581-079-6 Printed in the United States of America First Edition October 2009 eBook edition available eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-080-2 For my husband, the most supportive and patient man on the planet. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. Shades of Gray Copyright © 2009 by Brooke McKinley Cover Art by Paul Richmond All rights reserved.

Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Published by Dreamspinner Press 4760 Preston Road Suite 244-149 Frisco, TX 75034 This is a work of fiction.

Shades of gray by brooke mckinley