Broken Hands

144. No Trust

Grayson pushed the oxygen tank aside as Damien's gaze settled on him.

"Peter left too soon," Damien stated.

Grayson gave a small nod. "Yeah. Had stuff to do."

The silence that followed was awkward and heavy.

Damien stepped further into the room. Grayson's eyes flickered toward the file resting on the bed. It was time. He had to tell Damien everything. He'd be mad, no doubt, but at least it would finally be over. And it would avoid future disaster.

"Your meds?" Damien asked.

Grayson looked up, briefly taking in the broadness of Damien's chest—his build was remarkable, a man of action, no doubt. "Uncle Lex has them."

Damien nodded, then leaned against the desk. Grayson watched.

That posture—

"We have unfinished business," Damien pushed. It wasn't a casual remark—it was a fact. A deadly fact.

Grayson nodded. This was it. Time for Damien's intense interrogation. And something in the back of his mind told him that this time, Damien wasn't going to hold back.

"First, you need to understand that this is far from over," Damien said, his voice calm, spookily so. "This case, everything tied to it—I'm doing my best to put an end to it. But I need you to talk to me, I need you to not just talk but speak the truth."

Grayson nodded. "Okay." Though he felt a light pang that Damien called him a liar in lowercase.

Damien looked slightly taken aback, as if he had been expecting resistance. And honestly? Grayson didn't blame him.

"Charlie. You met him."

The name brushed over Grayson like a cold wind. No reaction. It was like he had finally grown numb to it—like he was allowing Charlie to die in his mind.

Grayson shook his head. "No. He's dead."

Damien crossed his arms. "I studied the footage from his device. The one we recovered. And I noticed something—he might have faked his death using a doppelgänger."

Grayson's eyes traveled around the room. "Right... except he didn't. And that wasn't a doppelgänger."

Damien's stare turned observant, sharper. "What do you mean?"

Grayson didn't dare meet his gaze. He swallowed softly. "Charlie had a twin."

Damien's muscles tensed instantly. "And you knew this all along?"

Grayson froze. The accusation raw.

Damien gave a slow nod to himself, disappointment washing over his face. "Just like you knew the code."

Grayson stiffened. "No, that's different." he said in a small voice.

Damien chuckled bitterly. "So you do know the code." it was a confirmation from Grayson's statement, it felt like a trap and he fell into it.

The way he said it—the weight behind his voice—it hit Grayson hard.

"No, I mean, yes. Look—"

"Look what?" Damien's tone was icy, cutting. "What, Grayson? Haven't we given you enough reasons to trust us? Haven't we proved that we care about you? That we can protect you? Huh?"

His words flew like bullets, striking Grayson dead center.

Grayson opened his mouth, but no words came out.