Chapter Twelve
Sawyer
After the BBQ, we all escort Amelie back to her dorm room to hand her over to Jasper who will take the night shift. It’s not ridiculously late, but my girl can’t stop yawning. I know that between The Order and school, she’s feeling stretched thin.
“Do you want to come up?” she asks stiltedly around another large yawn.
“I think you’d better get an early night.
” I grin ruefully at her. I’d like nothing more than to tuck her in and maybe even stay the night, but she really needs a break.
And I have business with my brothers. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I feel a surge of hope that it might finally be the answer I’ve been waiting on.
“Boo. You’re no fun.” She pouts and it’s pretty adorable, but I can think of a better use for her full, luscious lips.
“Rain check?”
“One time only offer,” she teases. “I’ll have to offer it around…anyone?”
Kalen looks about ready to jump at her offer, but a slight shake of my head makes him deflate.
“Sorry, sis.”
“Slate? Onyx? Both of you?”
They shake their heads in tandem. Amelie shoots me a fierce glare.
“You don’t want me, but you’re cockblocking them too?”
“I promise I’m not cockblocking anyone. You’re dead on your feet. Get an early night, and we’ll make it up to you at the weekend.”
“Really?” she asks, brightening.
“Yeah, let’s go out,” Kalen pipes up. “Get dick drunk.”
“Dick drunk?” She laughs. “Deal.”
“Good. I need to get drunk and fucked.”
“Dude, they mean the same thing,” Onyx points out, smacking Kalen’s arm.
“Not when I’m being ridden by Amelie and she’s screaming my—ouch! What was that for?” Kalen whines as Onyx and Amelie both hit Kalen.
“Shut up!” Amelie cries, and I laugh.
We say goodnight, and I usher my brothers back to the twin’s room, needing to discuss a little of what we heard this evening.
“Drink?” Onyx offers as soon as we’re situated in their room. He moves to the mini fridge under the desk, takes out a can of beer, pulls the ring and takes a long drink.
“You shouldn’t really be drinking on school grounds—”
“Chill out, you’re not a teacher anymore,” Slate reminds me.
“You can take the teacher out of the school but you can’t stop the teacher from dicking his students!” Kalen cackles. I smack him and accept the beer that Onyx is offering, laughing when Kalen opens his and is immediately sprayed in ice cold liquid. Even Onyx laughs.
“For the record, it was just one student,” I mutter. “Let’s get down to business.”
I pull out my phone and check the message. There, in black and white, is the answer to all my problems. Well, some of them at least. I smile and pocket my phone.
“Not sure we should be doing business without Amelie around,” Kalen points out before shaking off like a damn wet dog. “And for the record, I have killed for Amelie already.”
An incredulous snort escapes me, and my brothers laugh disbelievingly too. Kalen gets heated.
“I have! Ask Baxter if you don’t believe me! We’re blood besties now. He even got a friendship piercing with me…though I’m upset he wouldn’t get matching tattoos.”
I shake my head. I don’t even know how to reply to that. “Anyway, this business is about Amelie.”
Somehow my words make Kalen take this seriously, so there’s a first time for everything. I wait until everyone’s had a drink and then begin.
“Amelie thinks we don’t have her back.”
“She trusts Branson more than us,” Onyx adds with a mutter.
“We’ve fucked up with our attitude towards Laura. We know there are rules, but Amelie didn’t. We should have gone along with her plans,” Slate suggests.
“So you think we should be lying to her?” Kalen demands. “So that she, what? Likes us more than Branson? That’s pathetic! Have we learnt nothing?”
“No, that’s not what they’re saying at all, Kalen. Calm down,” I say placatingly. “It’s not about proving our love. Amelie just needs to know we’ve got her back, no matter what. But we have to show her that with actions, not words.”
“What are you thinking then?”
“The new board is ready. I have everyone but Baxter, but I’m going to get Amelie to rope him in. We take over the board at Amelie’s inauguration and—”
“I know that means we’ve got her back, but won’t she see it that we could gang up on her and vote against her?” Kalen asks.
“We’d never do that,” Onyx replies.
“Yeah, she knows that,” Slate adds.
“Does she?” Kalen retorts.
“Listen,” I say. “The first thing we do as a board is vote on Bastian’s future. The right way. And then we make sure that we’re the ones who carry out the execution.”
“So we send the message loud and clear to Amelie that we’ll always protect her.”
“More than that, Slate. It says we’ve got her back, and we’ll always vote with her.”
“Yeah, O. And it’ll send a message to anyone else in The Order who thinks that they can turn against our new leader to think twice before doing so,” I finish.
“Good plan.” Kalen claps like an idiot.
“Right, well, I have to go and see Amelie.”
“So you cockblocked us all from having sex just so you could sneak back and have your wicked way with her?” Kalen complains. “Why would you do me dirty like that, brother, why? Does bro code mean nothing to you?”
“We’re going to talk about bringing Baxter onto the board. A passion killer if ever there was one. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Well, if you do get down ‘n’ dirty with her, make sure it’s a Knox name she’s screaming and not his.”
“Sawyer? What are you doing here?” Amelie blinks at me in disbelief when she opens her door, like she can’t believe I’m really standing here. “Did you change your mind?”
A slow, sexy grin begins to spread across her face but when she sees my serious expression, her smile falters and falls.
“What’s happened? Is it something bad? Is everyone okay?”
“Everything’s fine. Can I come in? We need to talk.”
“You know,” she points out, frowning. “Nothing good has ever come from those words.”
“I promise it’s not all doom and gloom this time. May I?” I nod towards the room because she still hasn’t made any move to invite me. But she finally takes the hint and jumps back, opening the door wide.
I enter and close the door behind me as she takes a seat on the bed. It’s been warm, but she’s still wearing an oversized hoodie and knee high socks. As she moves so that she’s cross-legged, I learn that she’s not wearing much else.
I hesitate, then move to lean against her desk.
“It must be bad if you don’t even want to sit with me.” She frowns.
“Amelie, you’re dressed in next to nothing, and you’re exhausted. Plus, I need to keep a clear head for the next few minutes. I’m avoiding temptation.”
My honesty appeases her, and she quits shooting daggers at me. I know it’s a defence mechanism, so I don’t think anything of it.
“The new board is almost sorted. I have six of the seven seats filled.”
“Okay, which one is empty?”
“Branson’s.”
“So get Baxter to fill it,” she says, waving a dismissive hand like a magic wand. I’d need a magic wand to get him to agree. Or a miracle.
“I’ve tried. Believe me. That’s why I’m here. I need you to convince him.”
“That’s going to be impossible when he wants me to pardon him.”
“I know. And I’m aware that we don’t fully know how pardons work yet, but what about striking a deal with him. He sits on the board for a year or so in exchange for his pardon later down the line?”
“That could work…”
“It will. I’m sure of it. But it has to come from you.”
“Okay, I’ll speak to him. I don’t see why that has you looking so worried though. What’s really going on?”
“My plan is to take the Montgomery family seat, and Slate will take the Oldham seat.”
“Yes, with Baxter in the Branson seat. And Kalen in the Knox seat.”
“No. That’s just it. I thought you’d want Onyx on the board too.”
“I do, but I can’t see how it’s possible.”
“I’ve found a loophole that basically states you can use either the paternal or maternal bloodline to claim a seat. So Kalen can take the Davis seat.”
“But, Maggie was adopted. She doesn’t have Davis blood.”
“And girls were never allowed in The Order before. Are you going to let a thing like rules stop you?” I retort.
“But they’ll never allow it…will they?”
“I don’t know. Will the head of the most powerful organisation in the world, a girl who answers to no one and who does everything to the beat of her own drum, allow herself to stack the board in her favour?”
Realisation slowly dawns on her.
“I can do anything I want?”
“Within reason. Some parts of The Order we have to respect, but it’s definitely ready to be dragged into the twenty-first century. And while you’ll have a board that will always have your back, we’ll also keep you grounded so you don’t get too power hungry and turn into my grandfather.”
She snorts at that.
“Okay, so that’ll mean Onyx can take the Knox seat, even though he’s adopted, yeah?”
“Correct.”
“So that leaves me in…damn, which seat do I take?”
I hesitate and decide not to tell her the entire truth right now.
“The Rossi seat. I’ve sorted the Kessler seat.”
“Oh?”
“I have to tell you, you have family. A half-sister in fact. And she’s agreed to take her seat on the board. She’ll be a ghost member and unable to vote until she’s initiated, but you’ll get to meet her at your inauguration.”
“Whoa.”
“Yeah. It’s a lot to take in, I know.”
“I mean, finding out that Debbie was alive was huge. And I know she hasn’t been lying in a coffin for the last eighteen years, so she must have made a life for herself somewhere, but all of the questions I had for her were about her past, before me.
Now I find out I could have a whole other family I never knew?
” She shakes her head. “When will the revelations stop coming?”
I push off from the desk and cross the room in three easy strides, wrapping her in my arms.
“I think it’s time to get answers once and for all.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” she whispers. “I want to talk to my dad, but face to face. Can I invite him to my official event?”
“It’s called an inauguration.”
“I prefer coronation. I feel like the queen of the world sometimes.” She laughs.
“You’re our queen. Call it what you like. Invite who you like. But yes, I think having your dad there would be a very good idea.”
“Thank you,” she says, gazing up at me with a soft smile. “And sorry about earlier.”
“Hmm? About what?”
“My rant at the pool. I know you’ve always got my back. You’re my rock, Sawyer.”
“Always.”
I kiss the top of her head and she snuggles into my arms.
“Let’s move this under the covers,” I tell her.
“So I’m not getting cockblocked after all?” She asks with a cheeky wink.
“Bed,” I tell her sternly. When her face lights up, I add, “To sleep. I don’t want you falling asleep cuddling me and getting cold. Get under the blankets and I’ll tuck you in.”
“Will you stay?” she asks once she’s under the blankets and they’re pulled up under her chin.
Fuck the rules. We’re practically untouchable now as Kalen would most likely say.
“Of course. But only if you agree to keep your hands to yourself. You’re too damn tempting.” I toss my baseball cap, pull my shirt off over my head and drop my shorts.
“No promises.” She laughs, licking her lips as she takes me in. I grin back at her.
“Play your cards right and I’ll give you something nice to wake up to in the morning.”