Safe Hands

12. Not today

Alex peeled the files from the printer, gathering them into a small pile before pinning them together. He glanced at his watch; it was past 6 PM. He took a short breath, attempting to gather enough energy to match Grayson's usual intensity. He made his way out of his room and into the hall.

He walked past Russell's room, where the boys were playing a game that Julian seemed to dislike, whining about the popping monsters and insisting they keep the light on. Russell just laughed at his remarks.

Alex stopped in front of Grayson's door, deciding to just walk in. Grayson could be doing something dangerous behind closed doors; the teen was not to be trusted.

He walked into an empty room and almost panicked, but then he spotted Grayson just behind the door, scribbling in the notebook Alex had left earlier that morning. The boy did not spare him a glance and continued writing.

Alex ignored the behavior. Grayson had always been that way; it frustrated him, but he tried not to let the boy know. "How was your day with Rosa? She said you helped her a lot and didn't put up a fight," he started, leaning on the desk.

Grayson continued ignoring him. Alex held back a sigh. "You really need to stop ignoring people, Gray. That's very rude," he said seriously.

Finally, Grayson paused, making eye contact with Alex. "Oh, didn't see you there," Grayson said sarcastically as he closed the notebook.

Alex wanted to call out the behavior but decided to get on with what he had come to do. Grayson could drive anyone insane. "Fill these out and sign them," Alex said, dropping the documents on the desk.

Grayson watched him with a cautious, steely gaze. Then he rose from the ground to check the file. APPLICATION FORM - MERVIN HIGH SCHOOL. Grayson immediately dropped the file, his eyes clouding with anger.

He shook his head. "No."

Alex drew in a breath. "That's not an answer, and I wasn't asking."

Grayson stared back with defiance. "'No, was not a question either," he retorted as he sat back down.

Alex frowned. "Do you really want to talk to me like that?"

Grayson clenched his jaw. "I don't want to do this again. I did it before, and it did not work out—four times. I bet you know that!" he accused.

"I don't care, Grayson. You're signing the form. You failed four times, so what? Who says you'll fail a fifth time?" Alex argued.

Grayson's forehead creased. "Everything," he replied. "Do you want to see it happen before you believe it?"

Alex stared back seriously. "I say you won't fail, so not everything. Grayson, I believe you can make up for the other four mistakes and prove me right," Alex said in a calm tone.

He watched Grayson's eyes flash with cryptic emotion before returning to their usual coldness. "Why should I prove you right when I know you're one thousand percent wrong?" Grayson added with bitterness. "I won't fill this garbage, and if you can't bear it, kick me out! I'll gladly live on the streets," Grayson snapped.

Alex stood straight, restraining his anger. "When I get back in here, that form better be filled," he warned before exiting the room, knowing fully well that Grayson would just push the boundaries again to see what happens.

Alex strolled into his room, finally letting out a sigh. He plopped on his bed, pulling his laptop onto his knees to start working on the cases some clients had filed against the company he defended. It was hard to concentrate as he couldn't help but wonder why Grayson mentioned four times when his records stated twice.

The door creaked open, and Damien popped in. "Hey, you have a minute? I need some details on the clients you defended last year, the TBL company."

Alex looked up. "Yeah, can this wait until tomorrow? I'm having a terrible headache, and Grayson isn't helping."

Damien frowned softly. "What's with the kid again?" He slipped fully into the room.

Alex sighed shortly, bringing his gaze to his brother. "He doesn't want to go to school. He feels insecure about getting expelled again. He even stated four times. Probably it wasn't documented. And he was being rude about it, with a bucket of attitude. I hope he fills the form before I go check on him. I really do not want to punish him today."

Damien's frown dissolved. "Hopefully. I'm here to take matters in hand," he said sarcastically.

Alex shook his head, knowing his brother's harsh methods. "Let him be for a second. He'll fill it."

Damien rolled his eyes as he went over to Alex's closet. "I doubt that. Grayson is like a nut; you need to break it with a solid object before getting inside." He reached for a thick brown leather belt.

When Alex saw his move, he was quick to object. "No, you won't."

Damien started for the door. "Don't worry. This is in case I run out of patience," he said lightly.

"Patience?" Alex scoffed. "Your 1/100 percent? You've got to be kidding."

Damien smiled. "Bravo, Alex. Accurate prediction." With that, he left.

He burst into Grayson's room, which was pretty much empty. The light from behind the bathroom door confirmed his gaze, so he settled on the desk, leaning straight. As he waited, he couldn't help but take in the look of Grayson's room: shopping bags in a big mess, shoe boxes in conflict, stockings all over the ground, closet half open and empty, dirty towel on the desk chair, bed in a mess. This hit Damien's nerve. He had trained his son and nephew to keep their environment clean, a habit he had grabbed from his mother.

Grayson emerged from the bathroom, freezing when he saw Damien. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone defensive.

"You know exactly what I want," Damien replied, pointing to the form on the desk. "Fill it out."

Grayson's eyes narrowed. "I already told him—"

"I'm not Alex," Damien interrupted. "You're going to fill out that form, or we're going to have a serious problem."

Grayson glared, defiant. "No."

Damien sighed, picking up the belt. "I hoped it wouldn't come to this."

Grayson's character seemed to break for a second as he took a step back as Damien approached. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm very serious," Damien said, his tone steely. "Now, are you going to fill out that form, or am I going to have to teach you a lesson? I'm running out of patience."

Grayson hesitated, but his stubbornness won out, so he chose to glare in response.

Damien didn't hesitate. He grabbed Grayson's arm and delivered a swift, stinging lash with the belt to Grayson's back. Grayson yelped in pain and surprise.

"Fill. Out. The. Form," Damien ordered, emphasizing each word with another lash.

Grayson, surprised by the turn of events, was slightly reasoned. He sucked in a pained breath when Damien let go. "Understood?" Damien asked in a dangerous tone as he held Grayson's gaze in watch.

Grayson clenched his jaw, "Yes sir." Without further words, he snatched the form from the desk and began filling it out with shaky hands.

Damien watched him for a moment, then nodded. "Good. And clean this room. I expect it spotless the next time I'm forced to come here, and you better hand the form back to Alex when you're done." With that, he turned and left the room.

Grayson glared at the form, his hands still shaking. He filled it out, his anger and resentment boiling inside him, but he knew better than to defy Damien again; the man was ruthless. As he finished, he looked around his messy room, feeling a sense of hopelessness and frustration. He didn't want to clean up, didn't want to go to school, didn't want to do anything they told him. But he had no choice.

Grayson finally started to clean, his mind filled with thoughts of escape. He needed to find a way out of their grips. He had to.

A/N

Keep on readinggg....