He turns to face the crowd, reaching his arms out for them to be seated and quiet down. They all listen immediately. Of course, they listen to him and not me.
He turns back to me with a smug look on his face. "If you could please take a seat, Mrs. Michaels, I would like to get this started."
"You know damn well my name is Callie. Referring to me as Mrs. Michaels is blatant disrespect!"
I flop my ass down in one of the seats, strategically choosing the one closest to the edge of the stage. Damien fills the seat to my left, leaving the third seat open, as Austin steps up to the podium and leans into the microphone. I glance over my right shoulder to find Seb standing just a few feet away, eyes focused intently on me, and I nod at him. This should be interesting.
"Thank you all for joining us for this very serious matter. Today, we will determine if Callie Michaels is responsible for the premature death of her father and our late leader, Gabriel Ashford," Austin starts. "While the evidence in this case is a bit lacking, we will hear testimony from her husband, Damien Michaels, and review anything that is brought forward. If anyone would like to make a statement at any time, please raise your hand, as we're hoping to keep this as orderly as possible due to the sensitivity of the subject matter."
I scoff. Sensitivity of the subject matter, what a joke. The entire crowd is transfixed by his words, soaking them in one at a time. My eyes land on Damien, and he seems too confident. He thinks that he's going to get everything he wants by the end of all of this. The only one that will be winning is me when I burn this place to a crisp.
Austin continues going on with his stupid rant about how the trial will go down. "There will be a graphic video of Gabriel and his death shown. If you do not wish to see the video, please turn your gaze to the floor during that portion of the trial. Unfortunately, now that the doors have closed, nobody will be permitted to leave the building until after the trial has concluded."
A hand raises in the crowd and Austin gestures for them to speak. "How long do you expect this to take?"
"It will take as long as it needs to in order to determine whether Callie is guilty or innocent of her father's murder," Damien yells out.
"Thank you, Damien," Austin says before leaning back into the microphone. "Now, if we could proceed."
A screen behind the stage slowly lowers itself while the asshole continues talking. I tune him out, not caring about what is said. I know what happened to my father. The funniest part about this entire situation is the person they are actually looking for, my father's murderer, is standing right next to the stage.
Nobody will ever know if it was Seb who caused him to take his final breath because, with Soren's help, Barrett was able to delete the footage. The cameras miraculously started working again not long before Damien showed up to cut my father down and check his pulse. The only visible evidence attainable to Rogue is Damien finding the body. I plan on playing that off to be as suspicious as possible. Any seed of doubt I’m able to plant is going to be helpful for the ultimate distraction we need to get out of here.
Chapter 40
Kyler
Iwait in the tree line from my position while members filter into the main building. They really didn't consider the repercussions of making something like this mandatory. Having all the men in one place is a huge flaw in the Society’s overall safety, and it allowed Barrett and me to slip through unnoticed. Once everyone is at the trial, there will be nobody to guard the entirety of the compound. Fucking idiots. They unknowingly left themselves open for attack.
The whole trial is a bunch of bullshit anyway. It’s just a contest to see who has the biggest dick. Jokes on them. We’re going to destroy them all.
After a few minutes, the last person finally disappears into the building, but I wait a few minutes longer to make sure there’s no movement near the house. Cautiously, I take the first few steps, staying in the shadows until I feel confident enough to make a beeline for the front door.
I peek my head inside the house and am pleasantly surprised to confirm it’s unattended. I close the door behind me and head straight to the basement. That’s where Callie thinks Avery is, so there is no sense in wasting time.
The door to the stairs that lead down to it isn't far from the front door, but I pause for a moment before going down them and think about some of the things my girl endured. That son of a bitch tortured her whenever he could. The scar on her stomach is just the newest proof of it.
Gabriel deserved to suffer. The only thing that makes Gabriel’s quick death seem a little better is the fact that his entire legacy will burn down soon enough. Damien will die too, and Callie will become a Monroe. She hasn't agreed to it yet, but she deserves to have our last name. She deserves a name she can be proud of.
I shake the thoughts from my head and slip down the stairs to wander around. Before I can even start looking around, I hear someone call out.
"Let me out of here, you piece of shit!"
I walk toward the sound and find a door with a barred window, so I peek inside. "Did someone call for a rescue?" I say with a sly smile that she most likely can't see.
"Kyler?" she questions like she can barely believe I’m really here.
"The one and only. Callie sent me for you."
She stays silent while I pull the lock pick set out of my pocket and get to work. After a few seconds, I hear a click, and I’m able to push the door open. Avery looks rough, like she’s been crying nonstop. I give her a moment to walk over to me, but she doesn’t, which is when I notice she's chained to the floor. I quickly cross the room and get to work on that lock, too.
"Callieis my sister, and my parents are dead," she blurts out, and I stop messing with the lock, completely stunned.
"What?"
"Sorry. I shouldn't have let out the word vomit like that, but I've been down here mulling in my feelings ever since I found out. I had to see what it felt like to tell someone before I tell Callie."
"You said Callie is your sister, as in your parents were her parents?"