Page 11 of Ravage

Standing from my bed, I shake my head. "Right," I mutter, as he walks beside me out of the room and down the hallway. It's late, the dimmed lights of the corridor being the only source ofglow. As we pass other rooms, fellow members of the society follow suit, joining us until there's a line exiting the Westwood wing. Ashwood is last, stepping out of his room as Byrone scans him out. Together, we head to the library, my eyes landing on Jillian first when we enter. She's gathered the females of the society, the small group waiting patiently at the tables as we all approach.

I don't say anything as I wait for everyone to take their seats, noticing that Grey and Ashwood sit together. I don't know what to do with this information—it makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, we're all here for the same reason.

To get Avery back.

I never thought I'd miss the day where I'd have to deal with her smart mouth or docile, naïve state of mind. Or miss her witty banter while she tries to dazzle me withfriendship.

If I'm being honest, the past few hours have been hell for me too. I've felt sick because of the whole situation. Fuck knows what Whittingham has planned or what they are doing to Avery. Worst still, it creeps into my mind the possibility that she's not in Lilydale anymore. If that's the case, she's as good as dead. I know without a doubt that if we tried to make a break for the outside, the guards wouldn't hesitate to shoot us all dead—even me. My father couldn't give two shits if I'm alive or dead. He'd definitely prefer the latter, but I'll never give him the satisfaction or reward.

He's been trying to break me since I was a child, and the more unsuccessful he is, the angrier he gets. It's that uncontrollable emotion I'm hoping to exploit, waiting until we have the necessary power to strike not only here, but on the outside too.

I just don't know if it will be too late.

"I need updates," I start, not bothering with pleasantries. "Where are we on blueprints?"

Leighton quickly shoves rolled up paper toward me, my hand stopping it when it's in reach.

"We think there's two possible locations," Leighton says. "I'd guess they would want to go as far away as possible—more barriers and obstacles to cross."

I unroll the paper, scanning the map. I'm already familiar with the layout of Lilydale, but with Whittingham changing things so constantly, it's still a guessing game.

"North or south?" I ask him, checking the map at either end.

Both are equal distances away from here, but it's going to be the least obvious. I know they want us to think it's still near the morgue, but I'm not falling for their trap. If we make one wrong move, it's all over for Avery. We have to be quick and accurate. The moment they get any indication that we are heading there, they will prepare and retaliate.

They'll take her out of Lilydale.

Or do irreparable damage with extreme measures so that she ends up in the morgue.

"My money is on the south block," Grey interjects. "There's two more doors to get there which would make it a bit harder. I spoke to Christopher today and he confirmed that the facility have been spending money onrenovations."

"You spoke to Christopher?" I ask, slightly amused as my eyes seek out the blood again. I really hope that it's his blood on Grey's hands. I don't give a shit what he says his intentions were—he still crossed a line by meddling in our business. He might think he was helping to save Avery, but if anything, it would have pissed my father off having to retrieve her after the arrest. And because of the unnecessary drama, it made the facility look bad in the eyes of law enforcement. She would have been better off staying in Lilydale while Arthur scrambled to keep things private. I can only assume Christopher is the one who called the police too.

Grey nods. "Around the same time that they were replacing carpet from the incidentals account. He noticed more funds had been withdrawn when he lodged the request in the system."

"Makes sense," I grunt. "We knew they were planning a move. They had us distracted by the IT issues that we didn't think to look at any other accounts."

I notice him tense up, coming to the same realization. "We need to hit both ends of the underground rooms at the same time," he murmurs. "It's the only way."

"I agree," I respond, straightening up. "Jillian, Byrone… any updates on the firewall decryption?"

Byrone nods. "We managed to get into a few files. Nothing helpful though, but it's a start. We have to go in through the backend so they aren't alerted. If we try to immediately access the cameras again, they will know."

"Keep trying. If we can get through the system in time, it will be helpful to get the cameras offline when we head underground," I direct, turning my attention to the rest of the group. "Do we have eyes on Arthur and the guards?"

"In his office," Ashwood answers, surprising me. "Leaving the facility for a dinner date with that receptionist shortly."

Grey looks taken aback—albeit pleasantly surprised—as I just nod. "Good. We make our move when he's gone. Were there any witnesses today?"

Jillian raises her hand, grabbing my attention. She waits until I'm staring at her before speaking up. "I spoke to some of the girls. One of them heard a commotion near Elsher's office as they were being escorted to Markel's room. They saw Whittingham and the guards leave with Avery. Apparently, she wasn't in good shape."

In my peripheral vision, I spot Grey's fist clench on the table, but this isn't news to me. She wouldn't have gone willingly. They did something to her—I know it.

"Alright, time to get in position," I answer to the whole room, calming the nerves building in my body. "Ladies, you'll head back to your rooms as usual. Byrone, stay with Jillian and keep working on the cameras. If you get access, shut the system down for as long as possible. Leighton, take Jemison and let us know when Arthur has left Lilydale. We'll split into two groups—Grey, you and Theo will search the south block. I'll take Leighton to the north when he's back. Jemison, I need you to be on standby with the others. Stop the guards as best as possible if they are alerted to our presence up here."

Everyone nods, a somber feeling washing over the room. I gesture to the corner of the room, spotting the black bundle of fabric waiting for us.

"New attire for the underground. Get dressed. Be smart but I don't care whose blood we have to spill. Do whatever means necessary to get Avery back. You have my permission to be as ruthless and unhinged as you like. It's go time."

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