Tears tumble down Dash’s cheeks, his fists clutching onto Kemper’s shirt like he’s terrified he’ll be ripped from his grip.
His throat dips, lips quivering as he mumbles, “But it was me, Kemp. I think…Iwas Callum.”
“Baby, there is no Callum.” Kemper lines his face with Dash’s, struggling to get through to him.
“Therewas, though,” Dash cries softly. “It was me…” He tips his face in Angel’s direction. “Wasn’t it?”
Angel’s lips part, but nothing comes out. He looks like he’s fighting to hold something back because he’s unsure of what revealing it will do.
The same knowing guilt that’s on many of our faces right now.
Angel fidgets awkwardly, pained himself as he rasps, “I’m… sorry.”
“What’s… going on?” Kemper frowns, looking between Dash and Angel. “What does that mean…? Dascha?”
Dash’s round, glassy eyes shift from Angel to me. And he whispers, “Shadowman.”
Fuck.
My heart falls into my gut. I shake my head, like a reflex, because I can’t do this.
Denial is easier. It’ssafe.
But seeing the anguish on their faces, has me muttering, “Yea… Yea, that was me.”
There’s a sudden wave of heavy silence. I hadn’t noticed until the words left my lips just now, but the gunfire has stopped completely, an eerily quiet suspense enveloping us. Nothing to be heard but our collective breathing and the whirring of an engine from somewhere in the distance.
“Wait a second…” Kemper’s tone is fraught with worry. “Dascha, what are you talking about??”
“Okay, hang on,” Luthor steps in. “This is… complicated.”
“Lexington…” Ren grumbles admonishingly. “Now’s not the time.”
“Time forwhat?!” Kemper snaps.
Something comes over me, like a burst of either adrenaline, or confidence, or maybe, like this war, it’s the desire to fuckingend this, once and for all. To put Dash out of his misery so he can finally start to heal. So that weallcan.
From the rubble, we can rebuild.
“We hooked up,” I gag up the words, shame burning up my neck into my face. “Me and Dash… in solitary.”
“You what?!” At least four different people bark, maybe more.
Kemper’s head cocks, and I can’t tell if he’s going to break down or attack me.
“The Ivory drugged me,” I add as my only line of defense. “He drugged me and brought me there, and we…” I clear my throat and say the only word I can think to say. “Proxy.”
Realization dawns on many faces throughout the room.
“Ah…” Ren nods. “Say no more.”
“Uh, yes, say more,” Kemper barks. “What the fuck does that mean??”
“Wait, what do you mean The Ivorydruggedyou??” Velle hisses, finally on his feet again.
Dash blinks hard, shaking his head, “Shadowman…”
I’m about to crawl out of my skin until Angel stutters, “M-me too.” We all stare at him. “I wasn’t drugged, but it was also a… proxy.” He backs up slowly.
