Safe Hands

80. A Promise

Alex stepped out of the car, the cold morning air biting at his skin as he and Damien made their way toward the small café. It was quiet this early, a few patrons scattered about, their heads buried in newspapers or sipping coffee. At the far end of the café, Alex's eyes landed on a man with tousled brown hair, looking slightly nervous as he drummed his fingers against the table slowly. It didn't take long for Alex to recognize him.

"That's him," Alex muttered to Damien as they made their way over. "Peter."

Damien shot him a questioning look as they approached the table. "You know him?"

Alex nodded. "He's the one who dropped Grayson off with the social workers. He's the reason I was able to adopt Grayson in the first place. I didn't know he was that related to Grayson."

Peter stood as they approached, his hand extended, his eyes betraying a mix of guilt and urgency. "Mr. Smith, it's good to see you again," he said, shaking Alex's hand with a firm grip.

Alex introduced Damien, and they all sat down. The tension was palpable. Peter's gaze shifted uneasily between the two brothers but there was no sign of fear, just more of guilt.

Damien didn't waste any time, his eyes hooking on Peter. "We don't have a lot of time, Peter. Grayson, Julian, and Russell are missing. We know Charlie, your father has them."

Peter's face drained of color. "I figured he would try something that crazy," he said quietly, his voice heavy with regret. "That's why I agreed to meet you. I've been trying to track him down... trying to find a way to stop him."

Damien leaned forward, his tone sharp. "And how exactly have you been doing that? Because it looks like your father is still out there, and now he's taken three kids."

Peter winced at Damien's words, the weight of his failure hanging in the air. "I've been trying for sometime now to gather evidence, but it's... it's complicated. My father... Charlie... he is unpredictable. He escaped the asylum. After that, he went underground. I couldn't track him, I have been trying but to no avail."

Damien's expression hardened. "That's not good enough. You said you've been trying to gather evidence. What exactly have you found? And where do you think he's taken them?"

Alex sucked in a breath, "Damien, take it easy." He said before turning his gaze at Peter, "Peter, why didn't you mention this before, why didn't you let us know that Grayson could be in danger? Don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing you, I just want to understand."

Peter drew in a breath as he looked away, "Because Grayson doesn't want you guys to know. I tried, believe me, I had come to your home to tell you before, but that was not what Gray wanted, he wanted nothing to do with his past. And I couldn't force him."

"How clever," Damien remarked sarcastically and Alex sighed.

"You don't get it, I can't force anything on him not after being a coward for years and just letting my father treat him like that, I had to fight with my father to get Grayson out, and even so, I risked Grayson's life by doing it the way I did. It was a miracle he got to you, and that he was able to forgive me, I didn't want to ruin his new life any further, he was getting better, psychologically and physically, he adores your home and didn't need me to ruin it for him. So I stepped out." Peter said his voice not so confident.

Alex suppressed a sigh, "I understand."

Damien fixed him accusingly, his eyes boring holes into Peter, "We'll save the comments for later, Peter, now we need you to find them, and I need you to start acting, what do you have? Peter? No need to hide, I bet Grayson would be more than thankful this time. I'll make sure. Where could he be?"