Chapter 29 #2
I wonder what his father would think if he knew the power his son had amassed. The conversation I had with Ash earlier flashes back to me. He’s probably just like his disgusting father.
“I’m not leaving here without her. Name your price,” the Crow says, and fuck if that isn’t the worst thing to say.
“She’s not for fucking sale!” Ash hisses and there it is; the ruthless, killer Beaumont blood.
Threaten Avery and you’ll push Ash right into the dark place that exists in his soul.
The darkness that lives in him and burns in his eyes when his mask slips.
The same fire his father and brother both use to destroy women, Ash uses to protect Avery.
I know I’m pushing my luck when I hold up my hand to stop him. His eyes break away from the Crow for a second to aim that fire at me. Blaise stiffens next to me, and I can practically feel the heat of his glare swing around to narrow in on Ash, not liking the shitty attitude one bit.
This is big. This moment could change everything between us all. Ash is holding a grenade and toying with the pin; if he doesn’t trust me now then this relationship, and I suspect our family, are going to be blown to pieces. I hold his gaze and I pray.
His eyes don’t lower. He doesn’t back down at all.
A tiny crack starts on my heart and then he crosses his arms and swings back to face the Crow.
I don’t know if he’s chosen to trust me or not, but I have to follow through.
I have to make sure we’re all safe. I glance back at Avery and I see it in her eyes that she knows.
She trusts me to get us all out of this safely.
“How much? How much is she worth to you?” I say coolly.
The Crow’s eyes never leave mine. He doesn’t so much as glance at her. Another black mark against him. “Three favors.”
Fuck.
Fuck.
This man never gives out favors. I’ve had three favors from him already, but those were torn from him in moments of true desperation, for things only I could do for him. For him to offer me three for Avery alone… fuck.
I shake my head at him, and he grits his teeth.
“Six but I’ll have your word that you will never tell the Jackal about her.”
I freeze.
The Crow never breaks the rules of the Twelve and that’s pretty fucking close to crossing a line.
That’s not what I’m expecting at all. Granted, we all keep our cards pretty close to our chests, but it’s the unwritten law that we never conspire and scheme against each other.
I know he’s been biding his time, waiting to take the Jackal out, but he’s always played by the rules.
Even now the Jackal’s gone fucking rogue. What the hell is he playing at?
I look at him then, a proper once over without the rage clouding my eyes.
His face is blank and unreadable, but his body speaks loud enough.
His fists are clenched, his shoulders stiff, and his elbows are bent slightly like he’s poised ready to attack.
He’s not the Crow, here to buy some skin for the night like his father would or a pawn in the game we’re all playing.
He’s Atticus and he’s waging a war for Avery.
The feelings he’s had for her are real, real enough that he’s here for her, risking the wrath of the Twelve and losing the empire he’s built.
I take a step forward and when his chin lifts, I narrow my eyes at him, the tension in the room crackling like electricity.
“You’re in love with her, aren’t you, Atticus?” His eyes narrow to slits at the sound of his real name. I’ve broken protocol but I don’t give a fuck. He’s going to have to come clean if he wants to leave this room with any sort of a relationship with Avery.
Or his life, because Ash is fucking teetering.
“I told you, I’ll—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“She’s not for sale. Not to you, not to Matteo, not to anyone. Either admit you’re here because you have real, genuine feelings for her or leave. And to be perfectly clear, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep her safe. I’ll risk the Twelve if I have to.”
His eyes finally leave mine and swing down to land on Avery. I see it then, the feeling in my gut is right, he looks at her like she’s the center of his world. He looks at her with longing and sweetness and worship. He’s here to save her from me.
His eyes only get more vicious when they cut back in my direction, but he softens at the sound of Avery’s voice, “The Wolf is my family, Atticus. I’m not leaving with you.”
Some of the tension in Ash eases a little like he was afraid Avery would skip off into the sunset with this guy and he’d lose her forever. I make a note to talk to him again about letting her make her own fucking choices.
The Crow slips away, something I’ve never seen another member of the Twelve do, and it’s Atticus standing there with us again.
“You can’t let Matteo know about her, or what she means to me. He’ll fucking destroy her. It’s bad enough she’s with you.” He sinks down in the armchair and rubs his hands over his face. The room seems to take a deep breath.
“You don’t need to explain to me what that man does to innocent girls when he has an agenda,” I whisper, and regret flashes on his face so quickly I think I might have imagined it.
He chuckles darkly. “I guess I should remember that better than anyone. I was there when he snapped your leg with his bare hands. What were you, twelve years old?”
Blaise’s hand runs down the inside of my arm until he threads his fingers through mine, tugging me back until I’m at his side.
I don’t want to look at any of them while we talk about the damage done to me.
“Thirteen. I was thirteen and I had just won the Game. He told me he wanted to teach me how to deal with pain but really he was trying to break me in. Nothing he hates more than a female he can’t break. ”
“Well, he didn’t break you, did he? Here you stand with two Beaumonts and the richest kid in the country. You’ve inducted the heir to the O’Cronin family into your fold, and let’s not forget the Butcher. I’d wager this wasn’t Matteo’s plan.”
I chuckle, a little shocked that I have it in me to do so, and then I sit on the couch, tugging Blaise down with me.
Avery moves to sit with us, perching on the arm of the couch stiffly, and then, slowly, Ash joins us.
When he slips his hand to rest on my thigh, my shoulders finally relax. Atticus watches us all carefully.
“I was under the impression you were with the O’Cronin kid? That’s what Matteo thinks anyway. I heard a rumor of… more but I thought that was just his delusions.”
I feel a blush start and Avery scoffs at me. “Seriously? We’re in a life-threatening situation and you’re getting all shy about your harem of obsessed boys?”
Blaise nudges Avery’s leg with his shoulder and cackles at her. “Leave her alone, she’s used to being a badass under pressure.”
Atticus watches her the exact way that Harley watched me during our junior year, back when I was oblivious to what it meant.
God, I was so fucking blind. “This isn’t a life-threatening situation, Avery.
As long as you are safe, I’m not going to do anything.
The last time I saw the Wolf, I knew things had changed between her and the Jackal but I couldn’t risk being wrong.
I couldn’t leave your fate up to chance because the Jackal would do things to you that I’ve spent years making sure your father didn’t fucking do. ”
Atticus’s voice is kind and gentle. It’s fucking weird. I’ve only been around him a handful of times and he’s always a cold, ruthless dick. Probably because I was always with Matteo.
Avery stares over at him like he’s a stranger to her and if I didn’t hate his guts for lying to her, I’d feel sorry for him.