31. Chapter 31
Chapter 31
Damon
Fuck everything.
I no longer care about the personal consequences or retaliation from Arthur or my father.
Let them come for me.
In fact, I fucking dare them. Because right now, the only thing that matters is this feeling—this moment.
The sun is just starting to peak over the horizon, little whispers of light creeping into my room. The usual morning chill is non-existent, the blanket pushed down and resting low on my hips. Avery's warm naked body is curled up against me, her breathing steady as she sleeps soundly.
My arm is wrapped around her, fingers stroking her back as I stare at the ceiling. I'm not sure if I slept at all last night, but I feel more energized than ever before.
After we left the kitchen, I dragged her straight back here to the Westwood Wing before fucking her again— and again.
There was no way I was going to send her back to her room alone. Even if I stood outside her room all night, not being able to touch or see her would be torture. Plus, she deserves more than being made to sleep alone after what we did.
I saw red last night when she texted me, filling me in on Arthur's latest bullshit move. Grey was equally as mad, ready to go on the warpath and storm down to Arthur's office if I wanted him to. When I said no, he offered me something else, to my surprise.
"Switch places with me tonight. Go see her."
Neither of us needed to exchange more words after that, the silent conversation and meaning was loud and clear. After having her come on my hand yesterday, I knew we were past the point of no return. I couldn't hold back any longer. And apparently, that was obvious to Grey too.
It's still over an hour or so until the guards wake everyone for breakfast. I'm well aware that I'm about to set in motion a chain of events that may throw gasoline on the already burning fire. But I'm done with their bullshit and antics. Grey's right—we're going to find another solution to stop them. And in a few hours, word will spread about this.
A domino effect will ripple through Lilydale. Avery being in my room is not only a fuck you to Arthur's rules—it means more than that.
It means I've claimed her.
She was already untouchable before, tied to Grey and Ashwood, but now with my mark and protection, she's going to be on a pedestal beyond that. The other patients will respect it, but the staff… that's another ballgame.
I'm well aware that this also means putting a target on her back. They already went after her for the connection she had to Cirque des Morts. But knowing that she's now mine ? My father will lose his shit. Arthur will be furious—they will want to hurt me. But I'll be perfectly fucking clear with everyone…
Touch her and I'll make your nightmares seem like a happy place. I'll burn everything and everyone without blinking.
They will beg for death because it will be the easy way out.
With my free hand, I reach for my cell, sending a text off to Grey. It's early but he'll be awake—best to prepare him so we can come up with a plan. The last thing we need is for him to be hit by surprise, even if he knows what I was doing last night. The guards will raise the alarm once they find her room empty and it's our opportunity to take a stand by escorting her out together.
A warning.
There's a coup coming and we're not afraid to spill blood.
The only stipulation I have is I'll be the one to kill my father. Grey can have Arthur if he pleases—I'll happily watch him tear Arthur limb from limb.
We exchange a few messages back and forth, agreeing to meet in the hallway before the guards arrive. It wouldn't be the first time they have seen us moving freely in the mornings, making a mockery of their security system. But this time, it's a statement.
"What are you doing?" Avery mumbles sleepily, eyes still closed as she rests her head on my shoulder.
I look away from the cell, glancing down at her relaxed frame. She's still wrapped around me, fitting into the edges of my body perfectly.
Smiling, I throw the cell to the end of the bed, discarding it entirely as I grab the blanket and pull it over our heads.
"You," I murmur, rolling over and straddling her.
By late morning, word has already spread like wildfire.
I can hear the heated whispers and feel the stares from the patients. I have no doubt the guards also reported back to Arthur after breakfast, so when Christopher corners me in the hallway while we're standing outside Markel's office waiting for Avery, I assume he's coming to make some snarky comment.
"I'm not interested in whatever you have to say," I tell him lazily before he can speak.
Christopher stops a few feet away, hands in his pockets. "I think you will be."
His eyes shift to Grey, before returning his attention back to me.
"Get on with it," Grey states, clearly already irritated by his presence as well.
My dear cousin half-rolls his eyes at the command, pulling something out of his pocket. He quickly shoves it into my chest and my hand darts up, catching his fingers and crunching them painfully before he can pull back.
But curiosity gets the better of me and I let him go, looking down at the plastic card in my hand.
"What the hell is this?" I ask him.
Grey straightens up with interest, unfolding his arms. His eyebrows are raised, likely thinking the same as me.
"It's the spare card to solitary confinement," Christopher murmurs low, confirming our suspicions. "I swiped it from Dorothea's drawer this morning on the way in. She's called out today."
I pass the card over my shoulder to Grey who quickly snatches it up, putting it in his pocket. "Why?"
"Get Theo out and come meet me in my office as soon as possible. She's written down the latest code with a sharpie on the back."
There's an urgency to his voice that triggers alarm bells. And instantly I know why.
"The order went through, didn't it?"
Christopher nods, face stern. "First thing this morning. I have a copy of it on my laptop."
I close my eyes for a second, taking a breath and practicing my usual mediation tactic—imagining my father in a pool of blood. It does the trick, and I open my eyes again, locking them with his.
"Grey," I say with a silent command, not taking my eyes off Christopher.
"On it," he replies, immediately taking off down the hallway.
When my eyes glance over at Markel's closed door, Christopher's face flashes with worry. "Wait here," he says, knocking on the door and cracking it open.
I can hear muffled words exchange before he closes the door, gesturing for me to follow him. Raising an eyebrow, I stay put. He pauses, looking back at me.
"Markel is going to bring her to my office himself. I told him she has a session immediately after he is finished with her."
"And you think I'm going to leave her alone with that old dingbat?" I question with a scoff. "Is he going to protect her against Arthur?"
"Arthur is out for lunch," Christopher snaps back. " Celebrating with your father. My office is less than thirty feet away. We'll leave the door open if you like."
I narrow my eyes on him, silently making a promise to kill Markel and Christopher if anything happens. I hold up my hand to his face, pulling my cell out with the other to text Byrone.
We could be three feet away with Arthur on the other side of the planet, and it still wouldn't be good enough for me.
Byrone and Leighton appear less than two minutes later, giving me a nod as I pass them on the way to Christopher's office. I give one last check to make sure they are in position in front of Markel's door before I step inside the office.
Christopher walks around to the other side of his desk, leaning over to type his password into his laptop. A few seconds later, the printer whirls to life in the corner, pieces of paper spitting out while we stand in silence.
He starts collating it, and I realize he's printed out multiple copies. Footsteps appear behind me and when I turn to look, I spot Grey with Theo close behind.
I give the latter a sharp nod, impressed that even in solitary confinement for days, he still looks kept together.
A bundle of documents is shoved into my chest grabbing my attention, and I start flicking through them as Christopher passes a copy each to the other two.
"I've had a quick glance over it," he says, stapling his own copy together and flicking through. "The order is on the front, and they have annexed the amended trust to the back."
"Fucking cunt," Grey mumbles, sitting down on one of the seats as he scans the document. "He got on that fast."
"Bribery," I confirm, eyes reading over the familiar trust clauses. It always made me laugh that even in death, my mother made sure to fuck over my father. She did her best to make sure he didn't get a single cent. As much as he wanted to contest it, he knew what that would look like publicly—so, locking me up was the next best thing. He got to play the concerned father, while being my only surviving legal guardian. The trust prohibited him from taking funds for himself, but I guess he finally found a loophole.
Theo holds his bundle up, brows pulling together. "Clearly, I've missed a few things."
"Apparently so," I murmur with playful mocking. He raises an eyebrow at me, Grey snorting with insider knowledge.
I probably shouldn't antagonize Theo—though I do want him to know I've been buried inside Avery multiple times the past fifteen hours. Not because I think he'll care, but because I do.
Christopher glances between the three of us, picking up on the undertone. Theo is right there with him, but he just shrugs, unfazed as he turns his attention back to the paperwork. "About time."
"Damon," Christopher warns.
"Don't start with me," I shoot back, voice dark. I know he already knows—everyone does. I'm in no mood to deal with his poor attempt at worry for Avery's sake or fucking witty remarks about my feelings .
He looks at the other two, shaking his head as he moves on with a sigh. "I wouldn't be surprised if Alexander has already started moving funds out."
"No doubt I'm buying them lunch right now," I grumble. "But at least we have a small window to figure out a plan. How did you even get this anyway?"
Grey looks up, eyes narrowing on Christopher suspiciously. We know that Alexander wouldn't just share this with anyone.
"Arthur accidentally forwarded the email from Alexander to the staff this morning," he says. "He recalled it, but I was up early going for a run before work, so I saved a copy of the PDF straight away."
"That's one hell of a Freudian slip," Grey scoffs, anger splashed across his face.
"Bastard does love to gloat," I confirm, skimming over the trust clauses. Everything is familiar, but it's been a while since I perused it. Suddenly, a section catches my attention—one I remember but never paid any mind to.
My mother was thorough with things, always trying to cover every base possible. I frown, trying to work out if I've just found a potential solution.
"What is it?" Grey asks, noticing my face.
I look up at him. "Turn to page thirty-four, section sixteen."
The sound of paper fills the room as the others all follow, a silence falling over as they read the clause. Christopher looks up first, eyes slightly wide.
"You're kidding me…" he says in disbelief. "You can't possibly be considering that."
"What other choice do we have?" I retort. "We only have a small window of opportunity here."
My eyes dart over to Grey to assess his reaction. His face is scrunched up, clearly not thrilled at the idea, but considering it anyway.
"I don't love it," he admits. "But it might be our only shot."
"Theo," I say, turning my attention to him. "Thoughts?"
He glances up, face blank. I can tell he's surprised that I'm asking for his opinion, but this isn't a decision I can make on my own.
"I think we need to do whatever we need to do," he replies. "It's not infinite and seems like the only solution based on what Grey has told me."
I nod slowly, trying to work out logistics. "Christopher, we need you for this."
Asking him for cells and equipment is one thing, but this…
"I don't know," he murmurs. "The repercussions will be extreme."
"Either you fight with us, or you go down with the sinking ship," I shoot back heatedly. "Because you know as well as I do that once they start, it will be like trying to stop a boulder from rolling down a hill."
Christopher throws the paperwork down on his desk, running a hand over his face as he battles internal thoughts. "Alright," he says slowly. "I'll do it. But you realize once they get wind of this, I'll be out the door. I won't be able to protect any of you anymore."
"It's a risk we're going to have to take," I acknowledge, nodding toward a box on the floor. "Is that the surveillance equipment?"
He nods. "You're going to have a hell of a difficult time."
"We need to do it now," Grey says urgently. "While Teddy is out sick and Arthur is away from the building."
I walk over and pick up the box, giving Christopher a nod. "Get started on it. We'll do it tomorrow."
"Tomorrow is your birthday," he points out with uncertainty.
"Even more reason to do it—"
I'm cut off with the sound of approaching voices, the four of us falling silent just in time to see Avery appear in the doorway, flanked by Byrone and Leighton, with a confused Markel behind her.
"Hey…" she says suspiciously, looking around the room, her eyes lighting up when they find Theo.
Grey instantly snaps out of his mood, grinning as he slings an arm around her shoulders, walking her over to Theo. "Hey, little killer. Someone has missed you."