Darren’s eyes widened like I’d just detonated a bomb right in his office. He stared at me, frozen, his lips parting but no words coming out at first. Then he finally spoke, voice low, strained with disbelief.
“That’s absurd,” he muttered, shaking his head hard. “How on earth could a weak boy like him possibly kill someone? No… something’s wrong somewhere.”
I studied him closely, but there wasn’t a shred of mockery in his voice—he was genuinely rattled. He pressed a hand to his mouth, still shaking his head.
“Where is the boy presently?” he asked, almost like he couldn’t believe he was even asking it.
“With Special Force,” I answered flatly.
The words seemed to hang heavy between us, heavier than anything else I’d said tonight. Darren leaned back in his chair, his knuckles pressing int
