Chapter Ten
Amelie
It takes three weeks before I’m able to get an audience with Monty. Another three weeks of running around attempting to complete pointless Order assignments. My reading list has quadrupled in size, and I can’t even remember the last time I opened a schoolbook, let alone saw a dick.
I walk into my meeting with Monty with his son’s monster cock on my mind.
“Enter,” he calls as soon as I knock. I slip through the door, closing and locking it behind me. “Amelie? I wasn’t expecting you.”
Monty frowns at the locked door.
“I know.” I watch him carefully as he starts to squirm a little.
“I actually have an appointment now.”
“I know. It’s me.” A bead of sweat begins to trickle down his temple.
“My diary says—”
“It’s me. I got the feeling you were avoiding me, which is crazy when you’re allegedly here to support my transition into my leadership role within The Order.”
“Amelie—” I cut off the cajoling tone with a simple lift of my hand. I’m somewhat surprised when he falls silent, but I try not to let it show on my face.
“You’re lucky I love your sons, because they keep assuring me you’re nothing like Harold. And even though I don’t believe them, and I certainly don’t trust you, I do trust them. So this is me, giving you the benefit of the doubt.”
I watch as Monty digests what I’m saying, and there’s not a single flicker of guilt. It eases a little of the tension in my gut.
“I’ve been trying to see you for weeks and you keep brushing me off.” Monty starts shaking his head.
“No, don’t deny it. We both know you have, which is why I had to book today’s meeting under an alias.”
“I see.” He sighs and gestures to the chair opposite him. “Well, you may as well take a seat and tell me what all of this is about.”
I take my seat, wishing that I was in one of my fancy suits that give me the illusion of power and confidence, rather than my crappy school uniform. Right now, he’s the headmaster and I’m the student, and I need to switch up this power dynamic.
“I want Sawyer to have his teaching job back. Here.”
“That’s impossible. He had an affair with a student. He’ll be lucky to be allowed to teach anywhere ever again,” Monty protests.
“It’s funny that you think I’m asking. Everyone keeps telling me how big and mighty The Order is, that the Snaidhm can infiltrate, manipulate, and corrupt just about any organisation in the world, so don’t try to tell me that we can’t pull a few insignificant little strings to reinstate one man in a lowly, underpaid teaching position. ”
“Even if it were possible – and I’m not saying it is – it would take months, if not a year to pull off. Wouldn’t your time be better spent on other negotiations?”
“Like what? What’s more worthwhile than making Sawyer happy? I would have thought we’d be on the same page with that at least.”
“I do concern myself with my son’s happiness – all of them in fact – and right now, I believe you should be negotiating for something else. Something which will make all of you happier in the long run.” Monty stares at me expectantly but I’m just not getting it. “Freedom?”
I frown and shake my head at him, giving a half shrug. I’m not apologising for not knowing what the hell he’s talking about. He sighs again.
“Some of our students are set to graduate at the end of this term. I do not see how you’ll be able to take the helm of The Order while you’re still in school.”
“I didn’t know I had an option.”
“I think it’s safe to say that normal rules do not apply to you anymore…if they ever did.”
“So you’re saying I can graduate? This term?”
“I’m saying that it would be in your best interests to commit yourself to running The Order full time, as soon as you are able to.”
“Don’t I need an education to fall back on? You know, in case it all goes wrong?”
“If it goes wrong, it’ll be because you’re in a coffin. There is no backup plan within The Order. This is it for you now.”
“Well, what if I’m not ready? What if I want to finish my time here at Knox? Or somewhere else?”
“You don’t have a choice. Every day that you’re not the head of the Snaidhm, you place our entire establishment at risk. Lives are on the line. My father is not our only or biggest threat right now. So the longer you stall or delay, the more deaths could end up on your hands.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I tilt my head at him. I can see he’s manipulating me, but why? What does he stand to gain from stepping down and handing power over to me? His words don’t match his actions.
“Because it’s time you stepped up and took your role seriously!”
“Seriously?!” I explode. “How the hell am I supposed to take it seriously when the only tasks you’ve given me for The Order have been dead ends, wild goose chases, and ambushes?
! I feel like you’re texting me at every turn and wasting my time, when I should be learning how stuff really works, not fighting off thugs in the woods! ”
“I needed to be sure—”
“Either I’m ready, or I’m not. But stop wasting my time either way.
I’ve had enough!” I get to my feet and cross to the door, unlocking it and flinging it open.
I don’t flinch when it hits the wall with a bang, not breaking eye contact with Monty.
I’m pissed off. He’s up to something and I’m determined to get to the bottom of it.
Before leaving I tell him, “I am going to be graduating this term, alongside all of my team. Just so we’re clear, that’ll be Baxter, the twins, Kalen, Elsie and Adrianne. We’re leaving. Together. And you can’t stop any of us.”
I’m still raging as I storm along the corridor, late for whatever class I’ve not done the homework for.
I don’t even remember my damn timetable anymore.
I decide with how badly I’m doing with everything right now, skipping a class won’t matter.
Especially with graduating early. Though I should probably figure out how that’s going to work in reality.
I take a detour to the library instead. Not because I plan on studying, but because it’s quiet and the last place anyone will think to look for me.
“Amelie? What are you doing here?”
“You know, Sawyer? For someone who doesn’t work here anymore, you spend a lot of time on the damn campus,” I snap. Because he startled me and because I’m wound up. It’s not his fault though. I sigh. “Sorry. I had a meeting and it didn’t go to plan.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Let’s just say, I expected to cross a few things off my list, and instead, the list just seems to have grown.”
“That’s pretty standard for Order stuff.
But I’ll let you in on a secret…if you leave some things long enough, they eventually fall off the bottom of the list. Also, if someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, wait until they ask a second or a third time.
If they forget, it obviously wasn’t that important in the first place, and you won’t have wasted your time. ”
He grins at me, eyes sparkling with mischief, and in that moment he looks much younger.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re really here?”
“I had to stop by and see Dad, but I also made you an appointment and was coming to steal you away for the afternoon.”
“Please tell me it involves dick, at this point I feel like a born-again virgin. I might need someone to sweep out the cobwebs.”
Sawyer snorts at my comment. “I’m sure we can organise something, but that wasn’t why I was stealing you away.”
Sawyer takes me by the hand and leads me away from the library and towards the car park. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going or is it another surprise?”
“No, smart ass. It’s time to get your tattoo. What better way to show Monty how serious you are about leading a band of merry men…and women.”
“Hold up, how do you know—”
He cuts me off with a laugh. “There isn’t much I don’t know. I also know my father, and he never thinks anyone is ready. It was bad with Onyx and Slate, and even worse with Kalen. He still tries to protect him, even now.”
We reach the car park and Jasper is waiting beside Sawyer’s car. Shit, I should have told him I was going to see Monty, but his obsession with Elsie makes it so easy to give him the slip. I think we need to have a talk about that before he gets fired when my ass is kidnapped.
Sawyer opens the passenger side door and I slip inside, the door shutting behind me. He gets in on the driver's side and nods to Jasper. Then he looks at me with a tight smile. “You do know he’s going to get fired.”
“No...You can’t fire him. I won’t let you.”
“Your safety is important, and you keep giving him the slip.”
“Give him one more chance. You can even get Onyx to yell at him about it. I promise that I won’t accidentally-on-purpose jump out of the bathroom window anymore.
” He just shakes his head at me. “And one more thing: do I get to choose the tattoo and where it goes? No offence, but the ones you guys have are kind of ugly.”
“They are not ugly, they’re a symbol…”
“Yes, I know of brotherhood and blah blah blah. But shouldn’t the women be able to have something a little nicer, more feminine?”
“I can’t see why not. As long as it looks like a Celtic knot.”
“Have I told you recently that I love you?”
Sawyer’s smile spreads from ear to ear. He tells me that he loves me too and turns up the radio. I sing along to the songs I know and before long we are pulling up to a house.
“No shop?”
“It’s a favour. My guy works from home.”
Of course they have someone within The Order to do their tattoos.
I’m tempted to shake my head but then I remember Sawyer telling me about his cover up tattoos the night we met.
How he made himself earn each one. It made me instantly admire him beyond the physical, and so if this guy had any hand in helping Sawyer become the amazing man he is today, I have nothing but respect for the guy.
Plus, Sawyer’s ink is shit hot, so at least I know I’ll be in good hands.
We both exit the car and walk up to the door. Sawyer knocks and we wait for a few minutes before an older man opens the door.
“Sawyer! Nice to see you again. It's been a while.”
“That it has,” Sawyer agrees, shaking the man’s hand.
“And you must be Amelie. I’m Ross. I’ve heard so much about you.”
He extends his hand to me and I take it in mine. “Nice to meet you.”
He leads us inside and guides us to a living area. The house is very minimalist. A small couch, a coffee table, and a couple of indoor plants.
“Take a seat, Sawyer, and we’ll be back soon.”
“I don't think that’s a good idea. You know how important Amelie is to The Order,” Sawyer immediately protests.
“I’ve been a part of The Order since before you were born. I’m loyal,” Ross chastises him.
“To The Order or to my grandfather?” Sawyer asks.
“To The Order, of course,” Ross answers sharply and Sawyer nods his head.
Convinced, he takes a seat and I follow Ross through a hallway and into a small, private tattoo studio. He doesn't speak much, he just starts setting up his tattoo machine.
“Do you have any requests before we start?”
“I’d like to make the symbol more feminine. I feel like with women being able to be involved now that we shouldn’t have to get a manly tattoo if we don't want to.”
He sits on a small stool with wheels and scoots himself over to a small table. “I did hear about that. Brave move. I can’t say I envy you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Just between you and me. Harold has been on a power trip for a long time. He’s not an enemy I would want.”
“I suppose you’re right, but there isn't much I can do now that I’m in, and I don't really fancy the only option to get out.”
He chuckles and holds up a quick sketch of the Celtic knot. It’s still missing something. He can sense that I’m not a hundred percent convinced. He holds up a finger and wheels the chair back to his desk and starts to draw again.
“Sawyer’s a good man. You're a lucky girl. He’s been through so much, yet he still has a level head.”
“I'm extremely lucky. He is one of the best things to happen to me.”
Ross turns back my way, slides his chair closer to me and holds out the design. I smile. It’s perfect.
“The circle in the middle has the vine wrapped around it. The vine represents the struggles in life, and being a woman in this world, you’re going to face a lot.”
“It’s perfect.”
“Where is this going?”
“On the back of my neck. Dead centre.”
He frowns, but doesn’t say anything. I see his own Order tattoo on the back of his left hand. I know the rule, but it’s stupid. If I’m having a damn mark left on me forever, I will choose what it is and where it goes. I may belong to The Order, but my body is my own and always will be.
I raise a brow at Ross as if to say ‘do we have a problem here?’ and he gives a slight shake of his head in return, indicating to me to tie my hair up.
I do, then take off my jacket and lie on the table.
He shaves the area clean before spraying on something cold and positioning the image on my neck.
It’s time.
Ross starts up the machine and the buzz startles me.
It’s louder than I expected. When the needle makes contact with my skin I grit my teeth.
It hurts, like a bitch actually, especially on the bones of my neck.
I feel the vibrations all the way into my skull but I suck it up.
I have to keep still, I’m not fucking this up.
It takes longer than I thought it would, but I’m kind of glad about that.
It means Ross is taking his time. Maybe he’s scared to mess it up, knowing who I am.
Or maybe he just takes pride in his work.
Or maybe it just takes a completely normal amount of time to complete.
I wouldn’t know, I’ve never had a tattoo before.
This might just be my one and only. Although people say they’re addictive, I’m not so sure.
When I’m done, I thank Ross and then head out to find Sawyer. He’s sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.
“Work or play?” I tease. I can hardly picture Sawyer playing games on his phone. And I don’t think he even knows how to switch off from work.
“Do you really need to ask?” He grins up at me and immediately pockets his phone. Not in a suspicious sort of way, more like, I’m going to give you my full attention now. I like it. “So, let’s see it then.”
“No way!” I cry. “No one is seeing this until it’s all healed and pretty.” Sawyer chuckles at me.
“So no sex for another week or so then?”
“We can have sex,” I reply with a flirty wink. “Just not doggy style.”
Disbelieving, embarrassed coughing comes from behind me and Sawyer laughs loudly while my cheeks heat.
I refuse to look around at Ross.
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” I say.
“Absolutely. Later, man.”
Shoulders still shaking with laughter, Sawyer kisses me on the lips.