Page 83 of Ravage

Because dare I say it… I'm actually starting tolikemyself. No longer does my father's voice live in my head, feeding me toxic thoughts about my existence. It's been replaced by my own words, fueled by the attention and affection from these men in my life. As much as I struggled with it, I've come to the realization now that I can't be as horrible as people made me out to be because look at how many people care. And that number far outweighs any measurement my father had.

"So, all we know at this stage is Arthur is keeping tabs on Vivian," Damon says. "That's interesting."

"How so?" I ask, swallowing as I turn my attention away from Grey. I can feel my cheeks heating up under his careful gaze, but I do my best to act somewhat normal and composed.

Honestly, I'm falling apart inside.

In a good way.

What happened between us? One minute we were talking, then the next Damon was kissing me. If I thought the kiss downstairs in the morgue was the limit to how mind-blowing it could be, I was very much mistaken. That was just a warm-up. The intensity between us in his room is still making my head spin. It feels like his walls have finally come down and I can see the real Damon.

"Arthur has his attention on Vivian rather than you," Grey answers. "Or, at least, that's what he's wanting us to believe."

"He'd have to know we'd go after Thatcher," Damon adds. "It could be a setup to distract us."

Grey nods in agreement. "I'll instruct Leighton and Andy to continue to watch her."

"We need to protect her," I interject firmly. "She's acting fine, but I know it's probably a disguise."

The two men look at me with sympathetic expressions. If anyone knows and understands what's potentially going on in Vivian's head, it's me.

I hate that we're somewhat bonded by our experience. After all she did to torment me with Sam, leaking my private file to humiliate me, we're now tied together. Seeing her downstairs was the lifeline I needed to fight back. Dr. West had tried to use her as leverage; to convince me I was safe under their care, but I saw it for what it was. And it made me fight back harder. I wanted to protect her, to save her from their torture.

"We'll make sure she's safe," Grey says to me with a soft smile. "And speaking of, I spoke to Theo today."

My heart skips a beat as I look at him with wide eyes. "How?"

"I went down to solitary confinement. We can't get inside the room, but I spoke to him through the door."

"Oh," I mutter, despondent. "Is he okay?"

"He wanted me to tell you that he loves you. And he'll try to message when he can. Apparently, the service is terrible down there."

I nod sadly. "Thank you. It makes me feel a little better that we can check on him."

"Just a few more days," he responds encouragingly, rubbing my arm with his knuckles.

We step forward at the same time, his arms pulling me into his side. Leaning my head against him, I look at Damon, offering a small smile.

"You should tell him," I say gently. "It will help if we're all on the same page."

He looks at me wearily, probably trying to decipher what news I'm hinting for him to share. Obviously, I'm referring to his father and Whittingham, because I would bet money that Grey already knows that something happened between us thanks to the state of my neck.

"Alexander," he starts, an angry undertone to his voice as he refers to his father by name. "And Arthur. We've run into a bit of a situation."

Grey frowns but motions for him to continue. "Go on."

Damon takes a moment, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I should have told you when you asked, but the deal I cut for Avery's return was offering up a two percent share. He's now the majority stakeholder. Unfortunately, he's now able to make decisions without my permission. He and the board are filing an urgent court order to access the trust fund. The judge is his friend."

"So, he's going to get access," Grey mimics darkly. "He'll blow through the funds."

"I know," Damon agrees, annoyed. "The federal contract is at risk of being terminated if Lilydale doesn't replace the broken equipment. He'll be able to do it if he has access to the money."

Grey's arm tightens around me, almost as if he's trying to permanently attach me to his side at the mention of the experiments. "It just means we'll need to find another way to stop them."

"We might not be able to."

I scan Damon's face, spotting the guilt. I want to comfort him so badly, but I know right now, he'll be trying to focus on ideas.

---